Full Breakdown
Gaza Cancer Patients Face Accelerated Mortality Amid Israeli Restrictions
8/13/2026, 9:30:46 PM
Core Situation
In 2025 Israel destroyed Gaza’s only specialised cancer hospital, leaving an estimated 17,000 Palestinians with cancer without any local facility for chemotherapy or advanced therapy. Doctors say the mortality rate for these patients is now two to three times the pre-war level, with daily deaths rising from about one-two per day to three-five.
Background & Context
The war that began after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks led to a ceasefire in October, but Israeli forces retained control over most of Gaza. The Rafah crossing, the main exit for medical evacuations, operates under strict caps despite a 2025 ceasefire agreement that calls for free movement. The Israeli military’s coordination unit, COGAT, says evacuations require a valid request from the receiving country and security screening; the World Health Organization has not responded to inquiries. Before the conflict, roughly 11,000 Gaza residents were registered as cancer patients (October 7, 2023). Since the limited reopening of Rafah in February, only 5,800 patients have been permitted to leave for treatment in Egypt.
Data & Statistics
- 17,000 cancer patients lack local treatment options.
- 20,000 patients, including 5,000 with cancer, remain registered for overseas care but are not authorized to travel.
- Deaths among cancer patients are reported at three to five per day, compared with pre-war figures of one to two per day (?1.7 daily).
- An additional 6,000 Gazans are estimated to have developed cancer since the war began.
Official Statements & Responses
COGAT explained that “medical evacuations are in no sense restricted by the State of Israel but are wholly dependent on the receiving country’s request; without the official request, COGAT cannot coordinate a patient’s leave.” The agency also noted that coordination occurs with the World Health Organization, which has not issued a comment.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Every day my disease progresses, and my condition is tragic. My fingernails have all fallen out – I have none left. I am just waiting to die.” — Abu Sahmoud
- “Medical evacuations are in no sense restricted by the State of Israel but are wholly dependent on the receiving country’s request; without the official request, COGAT cannot coordinate a patient’s leave,” — COGAT
- “We have been recording a significant number of deaths, ranging from three to five daily, because patients are not receiving the chemotherapy needed to save their lives,” — Mohamed Abu Selmia, head of Gaza’s biggest hospital, Al Shifa
- “Some people can be treated if diagnosed in early stages, but they are wandering around the tents sick, unaware, and with no help,” — Al Shifa. Sobhi Skaik, a Palestinian surgeon
