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STORY: When girls complain to Gazan doctor Lobna al-Azaiza that they have no combs, she tells them to cut off their hair.

It's not just combs. Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip means those who live there do not have enough hygiene or cleaning products.

The conflict has left the enclave with no clean running water, a shortage of aid and medicine, and raw sewage everywhere, giving rise to skin diseases and other afflictions.

Al-Azaiza offers free medical services to displaced people in Deir al-Balah.

“Now there are no treatment options, no personal hygiene products such as shampoo, soap, and cleaning supplies for the home are not available. Women's hygiene products, there is a lot of women's hygiene products for personal cleaning that are not available. I even had children, girls, whom we advised to cut their hair because there were no combs available. They ask us for combs, they ask us for loofah for example. They asked us for shampoo, soap, and wet wipes, but these essential items are not available. Why? Because the border crossing is closed.”

This Palestinian woman says her child is suffering from skin disease, and is calling on international organizations to assist, by providing supplies like antibiotics and disinfectants.

:: October 7, 2023

Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

:: February 15, 2024

Gaza's health ministry says that since then, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive.

:: May 17, 2024

International aid deliveries to Gaza have been dramatically reduced since Israel seized control of the Rafah border crossing, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis.

:: January 9, 2024

Israel denies responsibility for delays, saying that the U.N. and others are responsible for its distribution inside the enclave.