Doctors in Gaza have raised the alarm over a rise in cancer cases, in particular breast and uterine cancer, as Israel continues its genocidal war on the enclave, impacting treatment and diagnoses.
Dr Samer Al-Dahdouh, an oncologist working in one of Gaza's hospitals, told The New Arab that he and his colleagues have noticed an uptick in the number of cancer patients arriving at hospitals, especially women diagnosed with breast and gynaecological cancers.
"Many cases are detected at advanced stages because early screening programmes have been disrupted and access to healthcare has become extremely difficult," al-Dahdouh told The New Arab .
While treatment for patients is available in the occupied West Bank and in neighbouring countries, Gaza's patients are largely unable to leave the coastal enclave as Israel continues to restrict and block medical evacuations .
"Sometimes it feels like death is chasing us from every direction," Mais Khalil, a 31-year-old breast cancer patient, told TNA. Khalil was diagnosed following a long wait for tests and examinations after noticing what she said were strange changes in her body, along with severe fatigue and pain.
"The war took away our sense of safety, and the illness took away my sense of strength," Khalil said. "The hardest part is watching my daughters see me getting weaker every day. Sometimes I collapse from exhaustion and cannot even fulfil my responsibilities as a mother."
Khalil also said her treatment has become irregular, noting that after she started chemotherapy sessions , she suddenly had to stop because her medicines ran out. Other times, she cannot seek treatment or attend follow-up appointments because she is unable to reach the hospital.
"Cancer patients here need safe medical corridors and real support because we are enduring conditions beyond human capacity," Khalil added. 'War has exhausted me more than cancer' Amal al-Ashi, a mother of five who has also been diagnosed with breast cancer, says that she has been filled with anxiety thinking about what will happen to her children if her condition worsens.
"I never imagined I would develop breast cancer, and when the doctor told me, it felt as if the ground had collapsed beneath me," al-Ashi told TNA . "The war has exhausted me psychologically more than the cancer itself."
"I fear being killed in an airstrike before completing my treatment. I fear dying from the illness and leaving my children behind," she continued.
Both al-Ashi and Khalil share similar fears that they will not be able to get treatment, as access has become more difficult amid Israeli bombardment, despite a ceasefire in place since October. Al-Ashi described how the process of treatment has become "exhausting", with sessions being postponed due to shortages in medicine or hospitals being overcrowded .
"Sometimes I spend hours trying to reach the hospital only to discover that chemotherapy drugs are unavailable," al-Ashi said. "I feel the disease growing inside my body while all I can do is wait."
Dr al-Dahdouh says Israel's war has had a "catastrophic impact" on the enclave's healthcare system , noting that Israel has not fulfilled its aid obligations outlined in the truce agreement.
"There is a severe shortage of chemotherapy drugs and medical supplies, while many diagnostic devices are no longer functioning because of electricity outages and fuel shortages," Dr al-Dahdouh explains. 'Time is being stolen from me' Fifty-year-old Sanaa Abu Shawish said she found it nearly impossible to reach a doctor after suffering from severe bleeding and intense pain in her lower abdomen amid Israeli attacks, closed roads, and fear of moving around.
After struggling to get medical tests, doctors finally informed Abu Shawish that she had uterine cancer.
"At that moment, I felt I had entered another war on top of the war we already live through every day," Abu Shawish said to TNA . "Cancer alone is terrifying, so imagine facing it while living through displacement, hunger, and fear. There is nowhere to rest, no proper food, and even painkillers have become difficult to find."
The mother of seven was set to undergo surgery months ago, but it has been repeatedly postponed because hospitals are overwhelmed and there is a lack of medical equipment and services.
"I feel as though time is being stolen from me while the disease keeps progressing and I can do nothing about it," Abu Shawish said. "What hurts me most is that I am a mother of seven children, and I try to appear strong in front of them despite the pain. At night, I cry silently so no one sees how afraid I truly am."
Dr al-Dahdouh stressed that Gaza's healthcare sector urgently needs medical supplies, equipment, and access for patients requiring treatment unavailable inside the enclave, and an urgent need to restore early screening and awareness programs, as early detection significantly increases survival and recovery rates.
"Many women in Gaza are suffering quietly because the war has forced us to postpone everything, even our health and our hope of surviving," Abu Shawish said.
Al-Ashi also echoed the same sentiment: "We are not asking for anything impossible; we just want a chance to receive treatment and stay alive."