Bio-exploitation under siege: the political economy of pregnant women's urine in Gaza's humanitarian crisis

This paper investigates the emergence of an illicit trade in pregnant women's urine amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Drawing on a qualitative methodological approach, based on 25 in-depth interviews with pregnant women conducted between June and July 2025, the study demonstrates how the significant disruption of social and health infrastructures, compounded by food insecurity and limited access to essential resources, has compelled some women to sell their urine as a survival strategy. This urine is subsequently used to falsify pregnancy tests in order to obtain nutritional supplements distributed by aid organizations. The findings indicate that this practice cannot be understood as an isolated form of criminality but rather as a symptom of societal fragmentation amidst restrictive conditions and a manifestation of biological commodification, highlighting the precarious situation of women. The commodification of a biological marker of pregnancy as a means to secure basic sustenance reveals both the severe limitations of humanitarian distribution mechanisms and the challenges faced by international systems in safeguarding vulnerable populations in contexts of protracted violence. The study documents not only the public health implications of this practice, but also its negative impact on women's dignity, underscoring the intersection of gender, survival, and systemic inequities in the political economy of aid. The paper concludes by calling for an urgent re-evaluation of humanitarian strategies to ensure security, equity, and dignity in aid provision, alongside international action to address the structural political and economic conditions that perpetuate hardship in Gaza.