On Thursday, Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of President Donald Trump's 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza. The initial deal calls for a hostage-prisoner exchange between the two parties and marks a major step toward a complete ceasefire.
That breakthrough unfolded as the war entered its third year on October 7. To illustrate how the conflict has undermined health-care progress in the region, TGH Data Editor Allison Krugman offers three charts that convey the immense health needs in Gaza.
TGH then takes readers to Africa, where one-fifth of the world's 1.2 million annual road deaths occur—but those deaths are preventable. Matthew Taylor, who manages the World Health Organization's Road Safety Reporting Initiative, describes the roles journalists could play in framing traffic collisions as avoidable and toward boosting public demand for accountability.
Next, Chinese University of Hong Kong's Ronald Eberhard Tundang describes four enforcement mechanisms that the Pandemic Treaty and a new initiative from the U.S. National Institutes of Health should consider to promote drug affordability and expand access in low- and middle-income countries.
To wrap up, Nisha Sharma, Colin Bell, and Penelope Love from Deakin University and Prabhat Lamichhane from La Trobe University describe Nepal's growing reliance on processed, packaged foods and how policymakers can promote healthier options.
Until next week!—Nsikan Akpan, Managing Editor, and Caroline Kantis, Associate Editor
