Anas Arafat - works for Plant the Land in Gaza City.  Even before Oct. 2023 he had eye trouble from diabetes and infrequent access to insulin.  He had successful eye treatment in Egypt.  However, after Oct. 2023 has had no insulin at all, so that's over two years.    He's lost vision in one eye and vision in his other eye is going.  He needs Humolog insulin pens along with eye drops and injections for his eyes (available in Egypt).  His constant search for insulin has been unsuccessful.

Here's his account written in August 2026:

I have had diabetes since I was 7 years old. I have type 1 diabetes, which means I have to take insulin injections. It was difficult for me to give myself the injections, and it was even painful for my mother, who was always by my side trying to ease my pain. It was hard to adapt, especially as a child; I always felt sad because I couldn't eat sweets, biscuits, and candy like other kids. Even the doctors in Gaza back then didn't have a high level of knowledge about diabetes. My life was different right from the start, unlike other children, as pain has been with me since childhood, and I always felt heartbroken that my life wasn't like everyone else's." At the beginning of my diagnosis with diabetes, I didn't know how to manage the condition. I used to secretly eat sweets without my mother's knowledge, which ultimately impacted my future life. It was difficult to change my diet, and even my family wasn't fully aware of how to handle it. My mother even tried all types of alternative medicine (traditional remedies), but to no avail, which caused a real strain for me.

Naturally, with age and the availability of new types of insulin, it became necessary for me to switch to these modern options, which help regulate blood sugar much better. However, because their cost was extremely high, it was difficult for my family to afford or even purchase them, especially given our very limited income. As a result, my life struggles grew worse daily. The insulin provided by the Ministry of Health was ineffective, and there was a noticeable difference between it and insulin pens. Yet, the high price of the pens was the main obstacle standing in my way. Still, I worked tirelessly so I could afford the insulin, putting in immense effort to help both my family and myself cover the cost. 

Due to diabetic complications and the lack of suitable insulin, I suffered numerous complications, the latest being diabetic retinopathy. I traveled to Egypt to receive treatment because it wasn't available in Gaza, as everyone knows the blockade imposed on Gaza prevented the entry of certain types of medication. To be honest, with the support of the PEP organization (Promoting Enduring Peace), I was able to get the right treatment, receiving several injections in my eyes as well as laser sessions. However, the doctor told me at the time that he wanted to save my right eye, which had severe issues due to diabetic complications, informing me that the vision in my right eye might improve, but would never return to normal.

With the onset of the war, my problems worsened and the difficulties escalated. I had to work tirelessly just to secure insulin. In the beginning of the war, prices were normal—even reasonable compared to today—but it was hard to know whether the insulin pens were still usable due to the lack of electricity needed for proper refrigeration. As the war dragged on, my health deteriorated further, as the psychological toll had a severely negative impact on my diabetes, causing my blood sugar levels to spike. By the end of 2023, I was suffering from a severe shortage of insulin in pharmacies, as most of them had been bombed and many pharmacists had fled to the southern Gaza Strip. Medicine became extremely scarce, and prices skyrocketed.

I must point out an important detail regarding obtaining or purchasing insulin pens during the war on Gaza. After several months of war, it became extremely difficult to find insulin pens, and equally hard to buy them due to their exorbitant prices. After about a year of war, I was forced to buy expired medication because nothing I needed was available, as Israel blocked the entry of everything into Gaza. Those were unbearable days that no one could endure. I even had to limit myself to very small amounts of food to prevent my blood sugar levels from spiking. On some days, I couldn't provide food for myself or my family as the famine worsened and my medication supply ran completely dry. ​ Despite losing vision in my right eye, I keep pushing forward for the sake of my family. Even though I lost 13 family members—my mother, my father, my brothers, their wives, and my nephews and nieces—which took a severe toll on my health, I will continue trying to do the impossible for my homeland. ​

By the way, I want to tell you that in December 2023, my wife gave birth to a baby boy whom I named Ibrahim. She gave birth at home because we were forbidden from going out at night due to indiscriminate Israeli bombardment. Because of the lack of proper nourishment needed for breastfeeding, a single can of baby formula in Gaza reached nearly $100, making it impossible to buy. ​Our lives were a living hell, and they still are.

To this day, I suffer from a lack of access to my medication. I need to travel to Egypt to continue treatment for my eyes; my eye condition seems to worsen by the day, and it feels like I will have to start from scratch. My diabetes complications are increasing daily, and so far, there is no solution to my situation.    

 

Facing My Guilt: I am surviving, but diabetics in Gaza are not - T1International   Aug. 2024

"Since the full Israeli blockade of Gaza's borders in October 2023, people with chronic illnesses, like diabetes, have been suffering immensely and are extremely marginalised. The already devastated healthcare infrastructure in Gaza has now virtually collapsed. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) used to be the primary provider of healthcare for diabetics. However, out of a total of 26 centres, UNRWA has lost more than half of its healthcare centers, which went completely out of service."