Puberty under Fire: The Struggles of a Gaza Girl Living through War and Down Syndrome

By Shaimaa Eid

Puberty is one of the most challenging phases in any girl’s life, and this is a reality many displaced girls in Gaza are facing, but R.’s case is more complex.

In one of the displacement camps in Al-Mawasi, Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip—where the sounds of bombing and drones drown out all else—13-year-old R. al-Ustaz faced a new and…