73 Palestinians killed while trying to access aid in Gaza, witnesses claim Israeli military shot at crowd
The maximum number of casualties were reported from northern Gaza, where at least 67 people were killed while entering the region through the Zikim crossing with Israel, the report said citing the health ministry in the Palestinian territory and local hospitals.
It is not clear yet whether they were killed by the Israeli army or armed gangs or both.
However, some witnesses claimed that the Israeli military shot at the crowd, said the report.
According to health workers, hundreds of people have been killed by Israeli fire while trying to access the Gaza Humanitarian Fund's, or GHF, a US- and Israel-backed group, distribution sites.
Over 150 people were also wounded in the attacks, with some of them in critical condition.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced new evacuation warnings for areas of central Gaza on Sunday.
The announcement came amid Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks in Qatar.
The evacuation cuts access between the city of Deir al-Balah and the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis in the narrow enclave.
The United Nations has asked Israel to clarify whether UN facilities in southwestern Deir al-Balah are included in Sunday's evacuation order, AP report said citing an unnamed UN official.
The evacuation announcement covers an area stretching from a previously evacuated area all the way to the coast and will severely hamper movement for aid groups and civilians in Gaza.
Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee warned that the military will attack 'with intensity' against militants. He called for residents, including those sheltering in tents, to head to the Muwasi area, a desolate tent camp on Gaza's southern shore that the Israeli military has designated a humanitarian zone.
Earlier this month, the Israeli military had declared that it controlled more than 65% of the Gaza Strip.
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According to a 2024 study published in The Lancet, India is home to 212 million people suffering from the disease, the highest in the world. Further, there has also been a marked increase in the incidence of diabetes. Between 1990 and 2021, the prevalence of diabetes in India has gone up from 162.74 people to 264.53 people per 100,000 population. In the same period, mortality from the disease has also increased from 23.09 to 31.12 per 100,000 population. Globally, several studies have examined the links between climate change and diabetes, however data from the Indian subcontinent is lacking. A 2017 US-based study showed that diabetes incidence increased by 0.314 per 1000 people for every 1 degrees celsius rise in temperature. A 2019 study from Brazil showed that a 5 degrees celsius rise in daily mean temperatures led to a 6% increase in diabetes-related hospital admissions, primarily among the elderly. Similarly, a recent Kuwait-based study also found that hot days (>33 degrees celsius) contributed to an excess of 282 diabetic admissions annually. Climate change diabetes Among the most common non-communicable diseases in the world, diabetes or diabetes mellitus, refers to a group of metabolic disorders characterised by high blood glucose levels or hyperglycaemia. The disease is broadly classified into type 1 and type 2 diabetes, denoting inadequate insulin production (type 1) or a combination of inadequate production and poor response to the produced insulin (type 2). Other categories also include prediabetes, where individuals are at a high risk of developing the disease, and gestational diabetes, marked by the presence of the disease during pregnancy. Existing research indicates that climate change can have varying impacts on people living with the disease. In a review article, Ratter-Rieck et al show that extreme heat can increase the incidence of the disease. The article explains that it also affects the patient's response to heat stress due to impaired blood flow in the skin and abnormal sweating. Some studies mentioned in the review article point to increased hospital admissions, both in extreme heat and cold conditions, and additional impacts due to comorbidities as a result of kidney and cardiovascular issues. Apart from temperature-related impacts, studies show that extreme weather events can also cause long-term disruptions in the patient's health and impair glycaemic control, while increasing the risks for related complications. Researchers now also warn that climate change can increase the incidence of infections globally. Fuelled by changing temperatures, rainfall patterns, as well as changes in animal migration patterns and coastal water temperatures, experts caution that physicians must be prepared for an altered landscape where infections will be on the rise along with the emergence of new ones. This is particularly important for people living with diabetes, as the disease makes them more susceptible to infections. Diabetes is a risk factor for infectious diseases such as encephalitis, chikungunya, West Nile virus and dengue, and therefore, the impacts of climate change on disease risks of people living with diabetes warrants a separate focus. Lack of data While existing research shows that climate change can further complicate the pathophysiology of diabetes and its management in patients, significant gaps exist in our understanding of these interconnections, explains a review article by researchers from the US, UK, India and South Africa. Based on data from 73 peer-reviewed human studies, the article shows that the majority of the observations exists from the North American and Caribbean regions. The researchers did not find relevant studies from India in their review and noted that most of the studies focused on high-income countries. 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'Climate change by itself encompasses air pollution, and it will have other systemic issues as well, such as changes in food and agricultural patterns. A one-degree change in temperature can set in motion several factors that may ultimately lead to the prevalence of diabetes. To study the combined effects of all these influences is a massive challenge. It is crucial to have quality health data to understand the impacts of these exposures and its outcomes,' explains Mandal. While there is some increase in awareness on the impacts of air pollution and climate change on human health, it will take a while for the existing evidence to be collated for policy-level interventions in India, explains Mandal. 'But, the efforts are ongoing,' he says. 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In a study of low birth rates among 44 low and middle-income countries, India had the third highest prevalence of low birth-weight births. The Global Hunger Index 2024 also states that 13.7% of India's population is undernourished, and 35.5% of children in the country under the age of five are stunted as a result of chronic undernutrition. 'If there is low birth weight followed by undernutrition during the developmental years, it is a double hit, increasing one's risk for type 5 diabetes,' explains Dr Thomas. He adds that while other metabolic processes also contribute to the disorder, the role of dietary factors is of significance here and the impacts of climate change in this regard needs further investigation. Several studies have highlighted the fact that climate change not only reduces agricultural productivity; it also diminishes the nutritional value of crops, thereby contributing to food insecurity and undernutrition. 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