Continuity of Chronic Disease Care in Gaza: a Commentary on Health System Collapse and Humanitarian Imperatives

The 2023 Gaza conflict precipitated a collapse of essential health services, exposing the extreme fragility of chronic disease care in humanitarian crises. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for more than 70% of deaths in Palestine, yet the management of hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and renal failure has been critically disrupted by the destruction of infrastructure, blockade of medical supplies, and mass displacement. This work synthesizes recent peer-reviewed literature, WHO and UN reports, and field assessments from 2023 to 2025 examining the continuity of NCD care in Gaza. Adherence to medical follow-up among NCD patients has declined from 96.7% before the war to 40.7% amid ongoing conflict, while more than 90% of primary healthcare facilities report shortages in insulin, antihypertensives, and dialysis supplies. Only 14 of 36 hospitals remain partially functional, leaving thousands without life-sustaining treatment. The findings reveal how conflict transforms chronic, manageable diseases into acute emergencies. Sustaining NCD care must therefore be recognized as a humanitarian and ethical imperative, requiring an immediate ceasefire and restoration of essential health system functions.