Luc Souilla, Amira Shaheen, Amira N Mostafa, Samer Abuzerr
{"title":"The escalating health crisis in Gaza amidst armed conflict and heatwaves.","authors":"Luc Souilla, Amira Shaheen, Amira N Mostafa, Samer Abuzerr","doi":"10.1080/16549716.2025.2513856","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The ongoing conflict in Gaza has resulted in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, displacing over 1.7 million people and causing widespread damage to infrastructure, which has severely limited access to adequate shelter, clean water, and healthcare. With summer temperatures exceeding 38°C (100 °F), conflict has heightened the population's vulnerability to heat-related health risks, compounded by a combination of environmental, individual, and conflict-induced factors. Gaza's dense population, high numbers of vulnerable groups (e.g. infants, pregnant women, the elderly), and widespread pre-existing health conditions further amplify susceptibility to heat stress. Overcrowded shelters foster rapid dehydration and the spread of infectious diseases, while the destruction of Gaza's power grid has led to widespread electricity shortages, depriving families of fans, air conditioning, and refrigeration, which are critical for cooling. Immediate global intervention is required to implement emergency public health measures and establish long-term resilience to extreme heat. Proposed actions include the provision of solar-powered cooling shelters, ensuring access to clean drinking water, distributing essential supplies such as solar-powered fans and hydration kits, and investing in climate-resilient infrastructure. Without urgent action, the convergence of extreme heat and the ongoing conflict in Gaza threatens to trigger a devastating heat-related health crisis that disproportionately affects the most vulnerable segments of the population.</p>","PeriodicalId":49197,"journal":{"name":"Global Health Action","volume":"18 1","pages":"2513856"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12152987/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Global Health Action","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2025.2513856","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/6/10 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has resulted in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, displacing over 1.7 million people and causing widespread damage to infrastructure, which has severely limited access to adequate shelter, clean water, and healthcare. With summer temperatures exceeding 38°C (100 °F), conflict has heightened the population's vulnerability to heat-related health risks, compounded by a combination of environmental, individual, and conflict-induced factors. Gaza's dense population, high numbers of vulnerable groups (e.g. infants, pregnant women, the elderly), and widespread pre-existing health conditions further amplify susceptibility to heat stress. Overcrowded shelters foster rapid dehydration and the spread of infectious diseases, while the destruction of Gaza's power grid has led to widespread electricity shortages, depriving families of fans, air conditioning, and refrigeration, which are critical for cooling. Immediate global intervention is required to implement emergency public health measures and establish long-term resilience to extreme heat. Proposed actions include the provision of solar-powered cooling shelters, ensuring access to clean drinking water, distributing essential supplies such as solar-powered fans and hydration kits, and investing in climate-resilient infrastructure. Without urgent action, the convergence of extreme heat and the ongoing conflict in Gaza threatens to trigger a devastating heat-related health crisis that disproportionately affects the most vulnerable segments of the population.
期刊介绍：
Global Health Action is an international peer-reviewed Open Access journal affiliated with the Unit of Epidemiology and Global Health, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine at Umeå University, Sweden. The Unit hosts the Umeå International School of Public Health and the Umeå Centre for Global Health Research.
Vision: Our vision is to be a leading journal in the global health field, narrowing health information gaps and contributing to the implementation of policies and actions that lead to improved global health.
Aim: The widening gap between the winners and losers of globalisation presents major public health challenges. To meet these challenges, it is crucial to generate new knowledge and evidence in the field and in settings where the evidence is lacking, as well as to bridge the gaps between existing knowledge and implementation of relevant findings. Thus, the aim of Global Health Action is to contribute to fuelling a more concrete, hands-on approach to addressing global health challenges. Manuscripts suggesting strategies for practical interventions and research implementations where none already exist are specifically welcomed. Further, the journal encourages articles from low- and middle-income countries, while also welcoming articles originated from South-South and South-North collaborations. All articles are expected to address a global agenda and include a strong implementation or policy component.
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