Gazan Cancer Patients at Risk From Medicine Shortages, Inaccessible Treatment

About 9,000 cancer patients living in Gaza face an uncertain future due to lack of access to critical treatments and medications, the director general of the Gaza Cancer Center, Dr. Subhi Skaik, said at a press conference on Monday.

Gaza has been blockaded by Israel and Egypt since Hamas took control in 2007, impeding freedom of movement to the West Bank and East Jerusalem even when it comes to lifesaving medical treatment.

“Cancer patients in the Gaza Strip suffer from a lack of diagnostic and treatment capabilities, with the increasing number of cancer patients among the population of the Gaza Strip,” Skaik said.

The senior health official cited the World Health Organization, saying that the incidence of cancer reached 91.3 per 100,000 residents in 2021 and is projected to double by 2040. The current cancer death rate in Gaza is 12.5%, according to Skaik.

Skaik closed his remarks by calling for urgent international intervention on behalf of Gazan cancer patients.