Suffering of cancer patients in Gaza worsens as Israeli enemy continues to close Rafah crossing

Cancer patients in the Gaza Strip are enduring immense hardship as the Israeli enemy continues to close the Rafah crossing, depriving them of access to treatment outside the Strip.

Palestinian Suhair Muhi al-Din, 46, discovered she had bladder cancer during the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip. Accessing diagnosis and treatment in Gaza has been a major challenge due to the shortage of medicines and medical resources.

Suhair told Palestine Online on Monday, “The doctor told me that the regular doses are unavailable, and this could give the disease a chance to progress, and I am unable to catch up with it.”

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip explained that Suhair’s name is on the list of medical referrals for treatment abroad, but the closure of the Rafah crossing is preventing her from traveling to receive treatment.

Thousands of similar cases exist in the Gaza Strip, including Muhammad Saeed, a child with leukemia, where treatment plans are hampered by the shortage of medicines and the closure of the crossing, exacerbating the suffering of patients and their families.

The Director General of the Ministry of Health, Munir al-Barsh, confirmed that approximately 22,000 Palestinian patients have completed travel procedures to receive treatment outside Gaza, including 5,000 children and 5,000 cancer patients, but they remain stranded due to the closure. He pointed out that every day of delay means a further deterioration in their conditions and the loss of more lives.

Al-Barsh indicated that the continued Israeli blockade preventing the entry of essential medicines and medical supplies has exacerbated the humanitarian and health situation, with approximately 2.4 million Palestinians living in conditions he described as “inhumane by all standards.”