Gaza cancer patients are dying at two to three times the pace they did before the start of the war sparked by the Hamas attack of October 7,2023, as Israel blocks many from traveling for treatment after destroying the only local specialized facility, Gaza doctors say.
Israel last year blew up Gaza’s specialized cancer hospital where, it said, troops had found a tunnel used by Hamas terrorists running underneath. That means that an estimated 17,000 Gazans with cancer have no local option for chemotherapy or other advanced therapy.
Few Palestinians can afford to travel for treatment, and those who can face Israeli restrictions. The military imposes strict caps on daily crossings to Egypt, despite a 2025 Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal that requires free movement in and out.
Asked for comment, COGAT, the Israeli military agency that controls access to Gaza, says it coordinates medical evacuations with the World Health Organization. To depart, Gazans must have a valid request from a receiving country and pass “required security screening,” COGAT says.
The WHO does not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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