Background: Children with kidney failure in Gaza are particularly vulnerable because of the conflict. Aim: To document the condition of children with kidney disease in Gaza and the impact of the October 2023 war on their health. Methods: We report the experience of children with kidney disease in Gaza, including those supported by Children Not Numbers. Results: Of the 45 children who lived with kidney failure in Gaza, Children Not Numbers supported 18. Six of those supported by Children Not Numbers were on haemodialysis and had significant electrolyte abnormalities. Ten of the children, among those not supported by Children Not Numbers, died of kidney failure due to inadequate access to dialysis. Conclusion: Children with kidney failure in Gaza currently have suboptimal access to dialysis and transplant, thus reducing their chances of survival. Urgent actions are needed to enable them to access life-sustaining treatment and care.

Background: Diabetes management requires lifelong medical and medication supervision. The war in Gaza has worsened essential care for diabetes patients, disrupting access to treatment and medications and causing non-adherence. Aim: To evaluate the effects of the October 2023 war on diabetes treatment and medication compliance in Gaza. Methods: Between February and May 2024, this cross-sectional study collected data from 278 diabetes patients residing in Rafah, Gaza Strip. It analysed the impact of the war on access to care and medications and medication adherence. Results: Access to health care facility had decreased from 90% before the October 2023 war to 22% at the time of the study, and medication adherence had decreased from 85% to 45%. Financial constraints severely impacted medication affordability (55% significantly, 37% moderately, 7% lightly, and only 1% not at all) and medication adherence (65% due to mild constraint, 40% due to moderate constraint and 15% due to high constraint). Conclusion: Findings from this study indicate the need for accelerated assistance to rehabilitate health infrastructure and services in Gaza to guarantee continuous care for diabetic patients and patients suffering from other chronic diseases.

Background: The conflict in Gaza has had catastrophic effects on the wellbeing of Gaza’s inhabitants as well as civilians in Israel. Aim: To investigate the impact of the conflict in Gaza on the wellbeing of Israeli civilians, using real-time wireless sensing on smart phones and smart watches. Methods: We prospectively monitored acute and robust reaction to the conflict in Gaza among 954 Israelis aged ≥ 50 years over a 6-week period. Measurements were recorded using mental related, energy expenditure related and sleep related indicators. We calculated the weighted average for 4 different periods, examined the correlation between the distances of participants’ residential city from Gaza, and tested the long-term effect of the war on different wellbeing indicators using mixed ANOVA. Results: Sixty-eight (7.1%) of the participants lived in high-risk areas, 704 (73.8%) in medium-risk areas and 182 (19.1%) were not exposed to missile attacks. The Israelis showed acute and robust reaction to the conflict, as all indicators worsened during the war, including spikes in heart rates, excessive onscreen time and reduction in sleep duration and quality. The changes were more significant among people who lived closer to the battlefield, younger individuals and women. However, all the indicators returned to normal within 2 weeks after ceasefire or humanitarian pause. Conclusion: Real-time monitoring of victims during a humanitarian crisis can help in early detection of their subjective and objective wellbeing and in designing and providing prompt assistance.