Cancer patients in Gaza are in danger due to crossing delays and drug shortages by Israel

"Every day, we are losing people with cancer in Gaza, and I am afraid that my turn is closing," Khaled Mansour, a 46-year-old cancer patient lying in a narrow hospital bed at al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, started his words with The New Arab. 

"Two or three patients die daily. I can barely move because of the pain. We need a solution. Open the crossings," he said. 

Khaled's words capture the reality of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza battling life-threatening illnesses while the health system teeters on the brink of collapse. 

Palestinian health ministry estimates that roughly 11,000 patients are denied specialised treatment—both inside Gaza and abroad—and around 4,000 patients holding referrals for treatment outside have been waiting for more than two years for the crossings to allow them to leave.

In Gaza's largest hospital, al-Shifa, the oncology department is a microcosm of suffering. Hallways are crowded, waiting lists are long, and essential drugs are scarce. 

Many patients endure chronic pain that confines them to their beds, often spending their final days in hospitals ill-equipped to meet their needs, according to Munir al-Bursh, the general director of the health ministry in Gaza. 

"We die here every day"

Khaled Mansour clutches his medical referral papers, which remain useless after years of delays. 

"I've been waiting for over two years to travel for treatment," he said. "The health situation here is catastrophic. There are no medicines, no treatment. Every day, patients die. Two or three of us. We want the crossings open regularly. God will hold everyone accountable; the world should too."

Samar Abu Khater, another cancer patient from Gaza City, waits for her turn to leave Gaza for treatment.

“For long months, I have been waiting to travel for treatment. However, I am afraid that I may lose my life before even reaching the Rafah border,” the 45-year-old cancer patient told TNA.

Like thousands of Palestinian patients in Gaza, she has been unable to secure a referral abroad. 

"We sit helplessly [...] There is no treatment, no medicine—this is inhumane. We call on all nations, Arab and international, to see us [the patients] as human beings and to act," she said. 

Raed Abu Hani cares for his younger brother, Fadi, whose throat cancer worsened after treatment delays. "He started with a mild tumour," he recounted, voice shaking. "He has a referral abroad, but the crossing hasn't opened for two years. The tumour has grown, causing unbearable pain. Every day, it feels like we are waiting for death."

Khaled, Samar and Fadi are among thousands of Palestinian patients with cancer who are suffering from the lack of treatment in the war-torn coastal enclave amid the tightened Israeli blockade.  

What makes the situation worse is that health authorities' data show rising numbers of patients visiting oncology departments, yet resources to meet their needs remain critically limited. 

New patients face uncertain futures, while those in urgent need see their conditions deteriorate.

Since the limited reopening of the Rafah crossing, the World Health Organisation has coordinated patient evacuations with medical escorts. 

Over 18,000 patients, including 4,000 children, are awaiting travel for treatment, but the crossing's slow operation endangers lives. 

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Gaza's Ministry of Health reported over 1,200 patient deaths while awaiting medical evacuation, with nearly 4,000 cancer patients still on critical waiting lists.

'A complex medical crisis'

Amjad al-Shawa, head of Gaza's NGO Network, highlights the scale of the emergency.

"Around 30,000 Gazans suffer from chronic illnesses, with cancer patients facing the most acute crisis. This situation existed even before the war," he told TNA. 

"Since the Israeli bombardment, cancer patients have become direct victims—either through strikes on hospitals or the collapse of medical services," he said. 

"Around 1,000 cancer patients have been killed by bombing, while two to three die daily due to lack of care," he added. 

During the two-year Israeli genocidal war, the Israeli army deliberately attacked the hospitals in the Gaza Strip, including the only hospital specialising in treating cancer in al-Zahraa city in central Gaza. 

"The destruction of Gaza's health infrastructure—including the Turkish Friendship Hospital, specialised in oncology—alongside targeted attacks on medical personnel and equipment, has caused critical shortages of cancer medications and painkillers," al-Shawwa said. 

Blood units, supportive drugs, and diagnostic tools are also in short supply.

Before Israel's war, Gaza had approximately 7,000 diagnosed cancer cases, with 4,000 new cases identified over the last two years, likely an underestimation given limited diagnostics. 

The absence of MRI machines and other imaging tools delays early detection of treatable cancers, such as breast and colon, pushing mortality rates higher.

Israeli restrictions continue to block the entry of medicines, medical equipment, and international medical teams while limiting patient evacuations. This systematic obstruction exacerbates the health crisis and leaves cancer patients exposed to heightened risk of death.

Slow lifeline

Since last Monday, 186 people passed through Rafah, including 70 patients travelling for treatment and their companions; 186 others returned.

The Gaza Cancer Centre has warned of an impending health catastrophe, with over 11,000 patients deprived of essential treatment and 300–400 critical cases facing imminent death due to crossing delays.

Mohammed Abu Nada, the centre's director, told TNA, "The stoppage of radiotherapy, lack of chemotherapy, and insufficient diagnostic equipment are forcing patients to confront disease at later, untreatable stages. Delays at Rafah are effectively a death sentence. The international community must act immediately to ensure medicine supply and sustained crossing operations."

This crisis is linked to the launch of Israel's genocidal war since 7 October 2023, which has devastated Gaza's health system. 

For cancer patients, the war has not only interrupted care but has placed them in a constant battle against both disease and the systemic collapse of medical infrastructure.