A day in the life of a diabetic patient in bombed-out Gaza

Amid the Israeli bombings and massacre of Palestinians, another tragedy is unfolding in Gaza. A severe shortage of life-saving medicines has pushed civilians to the edge. One of them is Amany Khalil, a chronic diabetic patient.

The besieged enclave has been grappling with a shortage of medications for decades. But after the Israeli bombardment began on October 7th, life in Gaza has taken a turn for the worse as people navigate the situation without food, water and even rudimentary medical care.

Khalil, a 29-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes (T1D), waits everyday for medical aid to make it through. She along with her family fled their home on October 13 after their neighbourhood in north Gaza was relentlessly bombed by the Israelis. They have now taken shelter in a school run by the United Nations refugee agency.

Gaza, a narrow territory measuring 41 kilometres (25 miles) long, and 6 to 12 km (3.7 to 7.5 mi) wide, is geographically crammed between the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the north and east, and Egypt to the south.

Surrounded by walls and fences erected by Israel, Gaza is among the most densely populated places in the world with over 2 million Palestinians.

Since 2007, it has been under a blockade by Israel, which tightly regulate the movement of people and goods. Israel exercises control over Gaza's airspace, shoreline, and the flow of goods across its borders. On the other hand, Egypt has the control of the Rafah border crossing.

And since the war began, all borders have been sealed, including the Rafah border crossing, which was closed on Wednesday due to an unspecified "security circumstance".

US officials were working with Egypt and Israel to get it reopened, US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said on November 8.

Rafah does not border Israel and is the only point of aid delivery since Israel launched its attack and siege of Gaza in retaliation to an assault by Hamas on October 7.

“I thought I would return to my home in a couple of days so I took only three insulin vial pens with me and left the rest in the fridge,” Khalil told TRT World.

“Our generator was working then, but I am sure now that it has stopped working, which means all of the vials have gone to waste.”

A week after the Israeli attacks began, Khalil ran out of insulin, but her sister managed to arrange a few more shots.

Insulin is difficult to store as it easily gets spoiled outside of a refrigerator. With electricity supply severed by Israel and shipments of fuel needed to run generators suspended, Amany is facing a battle for her survival.

With Type 1 diabetes, the body's immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Besides regular intake of insulin shots, Khalil also has to take care of diet, which includes keeping the body hydrated. But a shortage of food supplies and drinkable water has added to her worries.

Most days Khalil gets to eat khuboos (white flour flatbread) with cheese, which is not recommended by her doctor, as carbohydrates can increase blood sugar levels and cause them to fluctuate.

“When I can’t find a good dinner meal, I may suffer low blood glucose levels which can result in coma,” Khalil said.

Not able to access clean water, or any water at all, Khalil says her day consists of maybe one or two glasses of water - three if she’s lucky.

“I also don’t have a glucose testing machine as I left mine at home in a rush so I don’t know what my sugar levels are right now.” she said.

Evacuations of foreign passport holders through the Rafah crossing were suspended on Saturday and Sunday after an Israeli air strike targeted an ambulance in that vicinity.

The closest ally of Israel, the US, said it expects the Egypt-controlled crossing to be reopened at "regular intervals" so that aid can enter Gaza.

But even if she manages to find a few shots of insulin, Khalil said she constantly worries about where she’s going to store them.

“I have four days worth of insulin available now, but there is no power and generators are not working because there’s no fuel. Luckily it's not summer or else it would not have lasted even for a day,” she said.

On Tuesday, a convoy of 81 trucks transported a variety of essential supplies, including food, medication, healthcare items, bottled water, and hygiene products, into Gaza.

This recent delivery adds to around 650 trucks that have entered Gaza since a diplomatic agreement was brokered leading to the reopening of the crossing on October 21.

But aid organisations say that the trucks are a fraction of what’s needed as before the Israeli attacks began, at least 100 aid trucks used to enter the besieged enclave every day.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres also said that humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza are inadequate.

“If I don’t get killed by an air strike or bombardments, my chronic illness will kill me,” Khalil said.

At least 9,240 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel attack, which has schools, hospitals and refugee camps.

“The stress and anxiety is also not helping me manage my health. There are many like me with chronic illnesses like heart diseases and high blood pressure that can only be managed by medication and a proper diet,” Khalil said.

“Right now, we are getting none.”

*Name have been changed for security reasons