Painkillers only treatment for Gaza's cancer patients

Essential medical supplies including chemotherapy are almost non-existent

A Palestinian cancer patient, who was removed from the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital after it shut down operations, is treated at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Reuters

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Cancer patients in the Gaza Strip are receiving only pain-relief medications due to a severe shortage of treatments in the ravaged enclave, according to doctors, as Israel's war nears its 11th month.

Ten thousand people in Gaza require cancer therapy, but the healthcare system is on the verge of collapse and medical supplies are critically low after enduring months of relentless bombardment.

Hospitals have become a flash point in the war as Israel has accused Hamas of turning medical facilities into command centres, an accusation denied by the Palestinian faction and hospitals.

The conflict has obstructed exit for patients from Gaza, while severely restricting the entry of essential medical supplies, including chemotherapy. The specialised hospitals offering care to cancer patients, including children, have been “overwhelmed, undersupplied, exposed to attacks”, according to the World Health Organisation.

Dr Subhi Al Sheikh, director of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, the enclave's main specialised centre in the north, told The National that cancer medications and treatments are no longer available in the territory.

He added that people battling the illness have only been administered painkillers since facilities, including his, went out of service in November last year.

“To alleviate their pain, we provide painkillers,” said the doctor operating and receiving patients in a small room at Nasser Hospital in the south of Gaza since his hospital closed its doors.

“We cannot give them cancer medication because it is not available,” added the doctor.

The suffering of cancer patients is part of the wider breakdown of healthcare in Gaza since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October.

Hospitals and healthcare centres have been repeatedly attacked by Israeli forces. There is currently no fully functioning hospital in the enclave, the UN, doctors and humanitarian workers have said.

Gaza's Ministry of Health said that amid this situation, cancer patients are some of the “most impacted” people.

“What we provide to cancer patients when they visit hospitals does not go beyond an initial diagnosis and some painkillers, which cannot help a patient with a malignant tumour,” Moatasem Salah, a member of the health emergency committee run by local health authorities, told The National.

Evacuations of cancer patients for treatment abroad have also largely stalled since the Rafah border was closed after Israel's take over on May 7. Before the Rafah border crossing was closed, a limited number of cancer patients had been evacuated to countries including Egypt, Turkey and the UAE for treatment.

About 100 patients a day were referred for treatment outside of Gaza before the war started.

“Israel denies the travel of cancer patients for treatment and has only allowed some children to travel in the past months,” Mr Salah said.

“We have recorded several deaths of cancer patients due to the lack of treatment and medical care, and there is currently no precise number because co-ordination between the northern and southern areas is weak due to poor internet and frequent communication outages.”

The collapse in Gaza's healthcare system means that some cancer patients who were diagnosed during the war do not know the prognosis of their disease.

“I don't know what I have. All I know is that the tumour in my head is growing every day, and I am constantly lying down because my head is always heavy, and the pain increases every moment,” Bilal Al Sultan, a 33-year-old cancer patient from northern Gaza, told The National.

He originally had a small cancerous lump discovered in his head, which doctors attempted to remove via surgery. However, due to the lack of proper equipment and tools, the surgery was unsuccessful.

“All the doctors agreed that I must travel immediately to get a biopsy and receive urgent treatment, or it would pose a significant risk to my life, especially since the tumour is in the head,” he said.

“But currently, there is no passage, and Israel has destroyed everything in its war. I feel like I am living my last days.”

Like the other patients, he is now only receiving painkillers.

“My body has become accustomed to the painkillers, and they no longer work.”

Noor Jarboa, 9, from northern Gaza, was diagnosed with cancer four years ago and underwent a bone-marrow transplant. The transplant initially stabilised her condition, but it began deteriorating since the outbreak of the war, amid the shortage of medicine and food.

She urgently needs to travel abroad before she dies, her family said.

“We turned to hospitals to try to save her, but they are unable to provide any services to cancer patients under the current circumstances,” Noor's mother Zahiya told The National.

“Before the war, we were overjoyed that her health had improved more than ever and that she was close to recovering. But the war came and Noor's smile and our joy went away with it,” her mother said.