In the Gaza Strip, the ongoing conflict has severely impacted daily life, including basic needs such as clothing. Safaa Yassin, a resident displaced from Gaza City, has been dressing her child in the same white bodysuit for months. “When I was pregnant, I dreamed of dressing my daughter in beautiful clothes,” she says. “Today, I have nothing to put on her.” Yassin, now living in the Al-Mawasi area, finds that the clothes she managed to salvage before evacuating are either the wrong size or inappropriate for the hot summer temperatures exceeding 30°C.
The scarcity of clothing is a growing issue for Gaza’s 2.4 million residents, exacerbated by the region’s blockade and ongoing bombardment since October 7. Gaza’s once-thriving textile industry, which employed thousands and exported millions of items monthly, has been decimated. Since 2007, when Hamas came to power and Israel imposed a blockade, the number of operating textile factories has drastically reduced, and many have shut down due to a lack of electricity and resources.
Faten Juda faces similar struggles as she tries to dress her 15-month-old son, Adam, in ill-fitting pajamas. The ongoing conflict has worsened conditions, leading to a severe shortage of new clothing. Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, highlighted the plight of those forced to wear the same headscarf for months due to the lack of alternatives.
The situation is compounded by the scarcity of resources like water for washing clothes, leading to health risks such as lice infestations. Many, like Ahmed al-Masri, have resorted to wearing damaged clothing and shoes or going barefoot due to the unavailability of replacements. The dire economic conditions have forced many to sell their clothes, but with no new supplies coming in, the situation remains bleak.
Omar Abu Hashem, who fled Rafah for Khan Yunis, describes the difficulty of managing with only a single pair of shoes that he shares with his brother-in-law. He worries about the health hazards of walking barefoot amidst the waste and rubble. Similarly, Ahmed al-Masri is left with just one T-shirt and pair of trousers, which he washes as best as he can without soap or detergent.
