This law is actually five months old, and initially concerned everyone in Gaza, both men and women. But the public backlash – in particular by foreigners living in Gaza who didn’t see why this decision should apply top them – that the Hamas government backed down and decided to enforce a women-only ban.

I’m not personally a hookah fan and I don’t smoke, but I find this law unfair and discriminating against women. This is not the first time that Hamas has cracked down on women’s rights. In Gaza, we’re regularly faced with arbitrary security checks wherever we go. If a boy and girl walk around together, they’re systematically stopped and questioned on the nature of their relationship. I know young couples who have found themselves arrested and held at a police station until their parents came down to prove that they were engaged. As a journalist, I know that even filming anything with a simple amateur camera is regulated – you need a special authorisation. In short, this there is no logical reason behind this legislation, except to oppress women even more. "