KABUL (Pajhwok): Doctors in Gaza say the death rate among cancer patients has risen to two to three times the pre-war level, as many patients are unable to access treatment outside the territory, Reuters reported.
Gaza’s only specialised cancer hospital was destroyed by Israel in 2025, and around 17,000 cancer patients now lack access to local chemotherapy and advanced cancer treatment, according to the report.
Doctors said many patients cannot afford to travel abroad for treatment, while others who are able to travel face restrictions on leaving Gaza.
However, the Israeli military body responsible for overseeing access to Gaza said the evacuation of patients for medical treatment had not been restricted.
It said patients seeking to leave must have a formal request from the country receiving them and undergo security checks.
The body said around 5,800 Gaza residents in need of medical treatment had been transferred to Egypt since the limited reopening of the Rafah crossing in February this year.
Palestinian health officials said around 20,000 patients, including 5,000 cancer patients, had been registered for treatment abroad but had not yet received permission to leave.
Reuters reported that most hospitals in Gaza had been destroyed or damaged during the war, while the remaining functioning facilities faced severe shortages of medical equipment and essential supplies, including those needed for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa Hospital, said three to five cancer patients die every day because they do not receive the chemotherapy they need.
He said that before the war, the daily death toll among cancer patients was around one to two.
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