Over 11,000 cancer patients in Gaza face slow death amid Israeli siege and devastation of hospitals

Around 4,000 cancer patients have been denied to travel abroad for treatment, despite requiring urgent medical care that is unavailable in the Gaza Strip.

Due to the deliberate Israeli destruction of Gaza’s medical infrastructure and the continuing siege of the enclave, more than 11,000 cancer patients are facing an imminent threat to their lives.

Israel continues to prevent lifesaving medicines from entering the besieged enclave, leading to a “severe shortage of medicines essential for cancer treatment, including chemotherapy drugs, lifesaving medicines, and supportive treatments,” the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) reported on Thursday.

“This shortage has forced many patients to suspend their treatment protocols and has deprived thousands of others of the medical care they urgently need, raising serious concerns about the rapid deterioration of their health conditions and severely undermining their chances of recovery and survival.”

The Israelis have deliberately and meticulously destroyed Gaza’s medical infrastructure during their ongoing genocide. Starting with the bombing of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, which killed nearly 500 Palestinians in the second week of the genocide, the Israelis proceeded to attack all 36 of Gaza’s hospitals, including Al-Shifa Hospital, the enclave’s largest. After a days-long siege, the hospital was left as nothing more than “an empty shell,” according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Al-Shifa Hospital in ruins after the Israeli siege in 2024.

In 2023, the Israelis evacuated the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, Gaza’s only specialised cancer hospital, turned it into a base for their terrorist army, and bombed it out of existence in March 2025.

Less than half of Gaza’s hospitals are now only partially functioning as they grapple with severe shortages of fuel, medicines, and equipment.

The Israelis have gone on to kill over 1,700 healthcare professionals, including dozens of senior doctors. They raped and tortured Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, the renowned head of orthopaedics at Al-Shifa Hospital, to death. Hundreds of medical workers remain incarcerated in Israeli rape and torture dungeons, including over a dozen senior doctors. The case of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya has become symbolic of the Israeli treatment of Gaza’s medical professionals.

Having decimated Gaza’s medical infrastructure, the Israelis have prevented its reconstruction and continue to prohibit the entry of medicines and medical equipment needed to meet the needs of genocide survivors.

They also severely restrict medical evacuations through the Rafah crossing. As a result, thousands of cancer patients are left facing a slow and excruciating death in their tattered tents, which are infested with insects, overrun by rodents, and lacking electricity to provide relief from the searing summer heat.

‘Rats run over our faces’: Gaza’s displaced left to rot on mountains of waste

The PCHR report says that “around 4,000 cancer patients have been denied to travel abroad for treatment, despite requiring urgent medical care that is unavailable in the Gaza Strip. In practice, this amounts to sentencing them to a slow death.”

Israeli savagery against Palestinian cancer patients in Gaza is resulting in unprecedented suffering.

Omar ‘Arafat Ibrahim al-Khawajah (64) recounted his son’s predicament due to Israeli intransigence:

My 29-year-old son’s suffering began some time before he was diagnosed with cancer. He had persistent pain and abdominal cramps, but the initial diagnosis failed to identify the cause of his condition. In mid-October 2025, an ultrasound revealed multiple masses, and subsequent tests confirmed that he had cancer. My son initially received a treatment protocol consisting of six chemotherapy doses, but it was not appropriate for his condition, leading to a deterioration in his health. After his treatment was changed to a different protocol under the supervision of his treating physician, he received three doses, which resulted in an improvement in his condition and a reduction of approximately 30% in the number of cancer cells. However, the treatment was suspended because the medicines needed to complete the remaining doses were unavailable. The doctors informed us that he urgently needed to travel abroad for treatment. We completed all the procedures for his medical referral shortly after his diagnosis, but we are still waiting for a travel appointment.

A man tends to his elderly mother, a cancer patient at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.

Almazah Bahjat Ibrahim Abu Haniyah (69), who suffers from multiple ailments, including cancer, is left facing imminent death as the Israelis have refused her medical evacuation:

I was diagnosed with breast cancer on 13 January 2019 and underwent a total mastectomy for my right breast. In 2021, the cancer spread to my spinal vertebrae. I returned to the Gaza Strip in mid-September 2023 after completing some medical tests outside the Strip, but with the outbreak of the war, I was denied travel to continue my treatment. I received several rounds of chemotherapy in hospitals across Gaza, but my condition has not improved. I am currently living in a tent in the ‘Insan’ camp in Deir al-Balah. In addition to cancer, I suffer from diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, and coronary artery disease. Although I have had a medical referral for treatment in Egypt since 14 August 2025 and was officially informed on 12 June 2026 that my name had been placed on the travel list, I have still not been able to leave Gaza. I am now suffering from severe shortness of breath and constant pain that prevents me from sleeping or standing for more than a few minutes. I appeal to all relevant authorities to intervene urgently to save my life and allow me to travel for treatment before it is too late.

‘We just sit and cry’: Gaza’s cancer patients facing slow, painful deaths under Israeli siege

Given that the Israelis have continued to proudly commit a livestreamed genocide for nearly three years with total impunity, and that their Western funders and enablers have been fully onboard with their ghastly plans, the 11,000 cancer patients in Gaza can only hope for a miracle to alleviate their suffering.

---

I’ve never put up a paywall, but this newsletter wouldn’t be possible without your support. If you are able, please consider supporting my work with a paid subscription here, on Ko-fi, or on Patreon. You can also buy me a coffee or two at the link below. Thank you!

---