On World Diabetes Day (November 14), one message is clear: no child should fight to survive because they can’t access the insulin they need. Yet for children with diabetes in Gaza and the West Bank, that’s the heartbreaking reality. Every injection becomes an act of courage; every empty vial is a reminder of how fragile life is when medicine runs out.

These children define themselves not by their diagnosis but by their resilience — though resilience should never replace access to care. As the world comes together in awareness and action, it’s a reminder that health is a human right, not a privilege determined by geography.

Globally, diabetes among children and adolescents has surged by nearly 94% since 1990, but for those in Gaza and the West Bank, the struggle is far more severe. Interrupted insulin supplies, damaged health infrastructure, and restricted access to clinics turn a manageable condition into a daily battle — driven not by biology but by crisis and scarcity.

About Diabetes

Diabetes changes a child’s life in an instant. It affects how the body uses food for energy and, without care, can threaten every part of a child’s health and future. Usually, the pancreas makes insulin — a hormone that helps sugar from food enter the body’s cells for energy. But for children with type 1 diabetes (T1D), that process stops completely. Their bodies no longer produce insulin, making daily injections or an insulin pump essential for survival.

Children with type 2 diabetes (T2D) still make some insulin, but their bodies can’t use it properly — a growing concern as more young people worldwide face this diagnosis. Without consistent insulin, balanced nutrition, and medical care, both types can lead to serious complications that no child should have to endure.

Every child deserves the chance to live, play, and dream without wondering whether their next dose of insulin will arrive in time. 

The Pediatric Diabetes Basics Made Fragile in a Crisis

For a child with T1D, insulin isn’t optional — it’s life itself. Around the world, an estimated 1.8 million children and adolescents rely on it every single day, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Without timely diagnosis and treatment, diabetic ketoacidosis can turn deadly in a matter of hours.

But in a crisis, even the basics that make survival possible — steady insulin supplies, refrigeration, clean water, testing strips, and safe travel to care — can disappear overnight. Despite tireless efforts by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and partner organizations, stockouts and access barriers continue to place children’s lives at constant risk.

What Diabetes Looks Like for Children in Gaza 

For children in Gaza with diabetes, every day is a fight to survive. A manageable condition has become life-threatening as insulin supplies vanish, clinics collapse, and blackouts destroy the cold storage needed to keep medicine viable. Families ration doses, skip meals, and pray that the next shipment of insulin arrives in time.

Before October 2023, Gaza required about 30,000 insulin units a month. By mid-2025, stocks remain critically low, leaving an estimated 71,000 people with diabetes — including about 2,500 children with T1D — dependent on dwindling supplies.
 

Constant power outages, food shortages, and displacement make safe storage and proper nutrition nearly impossible. According to UNICEF and the WHO, ongoing aid restrictions and malnutrition have pushed Gaza’s health system to the brink, turning routine care into a humanitarian emergency. A 2025 WHO study found that over 10% of children with T1D required hospitalization for diabetic crises — proof not of neglect but of a system where access, not willpower, determines survival. Even sugar, used to treat low blood sugar, has become scarce.

What Diabetes Looks Like for Children in the West Bank 
For children in the West Bank living with diabetes, the struggle is different but no less relentless. Here, the barriers are not only medical — they’re geographical, political, and deeply personal. Every checkpoint, every closed road, every delayed permit can mean the difference between timely care and a dangerous spike in blood sugar.

• Access barriers and restricted movement. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the West Bank currently faces more than 800 movement obstacles, including checkpoints, gates, and roadblocks that limit travel to hospitals and pharmacies. For families managing diabetes, these barriers make regular insulin refills and emergency care almost impossible. A routine doctor’s visit can turn into an hours-long ordeal — or a journey they can’t complete at all.
• Interrupted care and rising costs. Even when insulin and medical supplies are available, many families cannot afford them. Economic hardship, job losses, and transportation costs add crushing pressure to households already struggling to survive. Parents often delay clinic visits, cut back on test strips, or reuse syringes to make supplies last longer — all of which put their children’s health at risk.
• Emotional toll and resilience. Living with diabetes in these conditions takes more than discipline; it demands daily courage. Children learn to inject themselves early, parents monitor every meal, and families cling to the hope that tomorrow’s roadblocks will ease. Despite the exhaustion and uncertainty, their determination to protect and care for one another remains unbroken — a quiet form of resistance against a system that makes survival itself an act of strength.

Bottom line: Whether they face Gaza’s supply collapse or the West Bank’s access barriers, children who need daily, reliable care must navigate unpredictable conditions.

What You Can Do Today

In the face of so much suffering, it’s easy to feel powerless — but every act of compassion matters. Whether through a donation, a shared story, or a call for change, you can help ensure that children living with diabetes in Gaza and the West Bank receive the care, medicine, and mental health support they need to survive and thrive. Together, our collective action can turn awareness into impact — and hope into healing.

Here are a few meaningful ways you can make a difference right now:

• Donate to trusted organizations providing medical support. Many nongovernmental organizations, such as the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, are working on the ground to deliver care. 
• Learn and share. Explore World Diabetes Day resources and raise awareness using the official materials this November. 
• Support vetted responders. Consider supporting organizations delivering insulin and noncommunicable disease care in the occupied Palestinian territory through the United Nations system and health-cluster partners, such as the WHO and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which provides primary care for Palestine refugees.
• Advocate for humanitarian access. Evidence shows that predictable, rapid entry of medical supplies — and freedom to reach clinics — saves lives for children with T1D. 
• Support or volunteer with local and grassroots groups. Local organizations hold deep trust and cultural understanding within their communities. Offering financial support or sharing your skills strengthens their capacity for sustainable medical care.

Let’s Match Awareness With Action

Behind every statistic is a child who wants to play without a blood sugar crash, a teen who wants to sleep through the night without alarms, and a parent who wants to trust there will be insulin tomorrow. On this World Diabetes Day, let’s match our awareness with action so children living with diabetes in the West Bank and Gaza can count on the basics most of us take for granted: medicine, meals, and a safe path to the clinic.