As World Cancer Day is marked around the globe, thousands of cancer patients in Gaza are being denied the possibility of treatment and recovery.
There are currently 10,000 people who need cancer therapy in Gaza but with the healthcare system on the brink of collapse and medical supplies running desperately low after four months of bombardment, it is near impossible for them to access the medicines and treatment they need.
Gaza's only hospital that specialised in treating cancer patients, The Turkish-Palestinian Friendship hospital, has been out of action since November 1 after it ran out of fuel and sustained heavy damage from airstrikes. In all, more than half of Gaza’s hospitals have been forced to close, while the 14 that are still able to partially function are currently operating at more than 200 per cent their usual capacity and are experiencing a severe lack of medical supplies, fuel, water and food, as well as specialist staff.
The impact on Gaza’s cancer patients is severe. Amnah, 52, was diagnosed with uterine and ovarian cancer in 2021 and had been receiving treatment at the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship hospital before it closed. In a voicenote, she said: “This war on Gaza destroyed my chances of defeating my illness...[The Turkish Hospital] provided treatment and follow-ups for all cancer patients. Despite its [modest] capabilities, we were able to receive services and treatment. But the hospital building was bombed and destroyed in the war.’
“After that, their doctors and services were moved to Al Najjar Hospital, which is actually a small medical centre that suffered shortages in standard treatment and equipment. But with this war, things became even worse. Unfortunately, Al Najjar centre barely has the basic means for treatment. If standard treatment isn’t available, what would that leave for cancer patients? Cancer patients need special care and medication. They need special treatments, even special diets.
“We cannot access biological therapy; We cannot even get pain killers. We don’t have immune boosting medicine, which [has] resulted in my relapse and that has affected my overall health and immune system. This war violates my rights as a human being, my rights as a cancer patient. It took away my right to a healthy life. It stole away my hope and safety. This war became the new cancer I had to battle the past few months.”
Despite the desperate need for medical supplies, the amount of humanitarian aid that is currently permitted to enter Gaza is shamefully low. And the restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities on the kinds of items able to cross into the territory mean that some crucial medicines and equipment – such as diagnostic devices – are prevented from entering.
Even before October 7, around 20,000 patients sought permission to leave Gaza each year because they required specialised healthcare which was unavailable within the territory - yet in 2022, less than two thirds of these requests were granted by Israel. In the last four months, only a very small number of people have been permitted to leave Gaza and receive life-saving treatment elsewhere. Many others have had their requests refused.
Amnah said: “I applied for help to receive treatment abroad. It’s been three months since I applied. I keep hearing the same things: treatment is for children and the injured only. They say I will have my chance for treatment later, but what about my rights as a human? I am also ill, and my condition can worsen and lead to my death at any moment.”
Dua’a, 36, is a mother of eight who has bone cancer and acute seronegative RA, an auto-immune disease. She said: “I received biological therapy in the form of shots for my cancer from the West Bank. And I was denied by the Israeli [authorities] to travel abroad for my treatment. I was only sent one course of treatment every six months. Then the war began, and things went downhill. I couldn’t receive treatment anymore, not even painkillers for my aching bones and joints. Nothing to ease my pain.’
‘I filed a new paper to receive treatment abroad. It’s been two months now to no avail. I hope someone hears me: officials, the health department, management, anyone involved. I hope they know that we are sick and isolated from the world. I implore them to help us receive our treatment abroad, to get better and live our lives.’
“We now have to take shelter in schools in this freezing cold. We are sick, and we shouldn’t be exposed to these freezing temperatures; especially bone cancer patients. We need warmth and proper nutrition. We need eggs and milk, and we need treatment. None of that is available here for us. Our need for treatment is increasing, the health situation here is unbearable. It became worse than before; I cannot stand on my feet. I am a mother of eight; I cannot take care of my children. I cannot live my life like before...I’d rather die than to continue living like this.'
Riham Jafari, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator at ActionAid Palestine said: “While much of the world’s attention has been focused on the Palestinians being killed in airstrikes in Gaza, there is a silent but rising tide of patients with cancer who are needlessly dying because they’re unable to get the treatment they need. These sick men, women and children have to suffer the double indignity of living in cramped and inhumane conditions without enough food and water, let alone the medicines they require.
“We know that early diagnosis of cancer saves lives, but with Gaza’s healthcare system so overburdened and people so focused on their immediate survival, it’s likely that hundreds more cases are going undetected and untreated.
“Even before October 7, thousands of Palestinians were being denied their fundamental right to healthcare. In the past I’ve met women in Gaza who’d had their requests to leave the strip for urgent treatment refused, essentially condemning them to death. The Israeli authorities must allow people to access vital healthcare. Gaza desperately needs a permanent ceasefire, now, to prevent more people being killed and allow crucial aid – including medical supplies – to enter the territory.”
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Contact the ActionAid press office on uk.media@actionaid.org or on 07753 973 486.
Riham Jafari is available as a spokesperson, please contact the press office to arrange.