For Gaza’s diabetes patients, the disappearance of insulin has become a slow, punishing ordeal. Chronic-illness medicines are now so scarce that thousands are living from one day to the next without the treatment they depend on, forced to navigate a collapsing healthcare system overwhelmed by the consequences of the ongoing genocidal war. Doctors estimate that tens of thousands are facing dangerous complications simply because routine care is no longer possible.

Across the Strip, families describe a constant search for insulin that rarely ends in success. One mother living in a temporary tent on the coast speaks of her teenage son, whose condition has deteriorated as treatment ran out. With food insecurity worsening and specialised diets impossible to maintain, she says his symptoms have become unpredictable and frightening, leaving her in a state of constant worry. Others recount how minor health issues spiralled into life-changing complications because clinics and pharmacies no longer have basic medicines, equipment, or staff.

Health specialists warn that diabetes, which already affected a significant portion of Gaza’s population, has become far more dangerous since the war began. Hospitals report that essential drugs have almost entirely vanished, testing devices are unobtainable, and primary care centres hold only a small fraction of their former supplies. Insulin shortages exceed eighty per cent, leaving many patients without the most fundamental treatment required for survival. Doctors say that without proper medication, patients face severe risks, including sudden health crises, long-term organ damage, and, in the most vulnerable cases, death.

Experts also stress that insulin needs vary from person to person, making consistent monitoring essential, something that has become nearly impossible under current conditions. They warn that the combination of displacement, malnutrition, and lack of medical oversight is accelerating complications that could have been prevented with even the most basic access to care. For many families, the absence of insulin has transformed an already difficult life into a daily emergency that shows no sign of easing.