‘We Just Sit and Cry’: Gaza’s 11,000 Cancer Patients Left Without Treatment as Oncology Services Collapse

For Hani Naim, the fight is not only against cancer but for permission to save his life. Six years into his diagnosis, and after securing approval to travel for care, he remains trapped in Gaza as restrictions tighten and medical evacuations stall.

Oncology Care in Gaza Has Collapsed

Doctors and aid workers say Gaza’s health system has been pushed to the brink. About 11,000 people with cancer are now effectively stranded in the territory, with chemotherapy, radiotherapy and essential diagnostic services largely unavailable.

'I used to receive treatment in the West Bank and Jerusalem,' Naim told Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum. 'Today, I cannot access any treatment at all. I need radiotherapy, and it no longer exists in Gaza.'

The crisis centers on the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, which was once Gaza's main specialised oncology centre. Al Jazeera reported that the facility was damaged during the fighting and is now unusable, forcing clinicians into makeshift clinics with little or no equipment.

Mohammed Abu Nada, medical director of the Gaza Cancer Centre, described the situation as one of near-total helplessness. 'We have lost everything,' he said. 'We lost the only hospital capable of diagnosing and treating cancer… We are now in Nasser Medical Complex, but unfortunately, we have no equipment to diagnose the disease, and we have no chemotherapy.' He also said the World Health Organization had been asked for support to provide treatments inside Gaza if travel continued to be blocked.

Shortages, Rationing and Daily Deaths

Abu Nada estimated that 60–70% of established cancer treatment protocols are currently unavailable. Many chemotherapy regimens depend on a precise sequence of drugs, so the absence of a single component can render an entire course ineffective. Even basic palliative care has been eroded: painkillers and other symptom-relief medicines are now rationed.

'We try to prioritise,' Abu Nada said. 'Those with widespread cancer are given some, and those who are still on safe ground … we do not give them any.'

The human toll is stark. In the Khan Younis area alone, medical staff report two to three cancer patients dying each day. Doctors warn that without consistent diagnostics and treatment, cancers spread unchecked and outcomes have regressed by decades.

While some ceasefire agreements were meant to ease the delivery of humanitarian goods, Abu Nada and other clinicians say that life-saving medicines and diagnostic equipment have not arrived. 'They brought in chocolates, nuts, and chips … but treatments for chronic diseases, cancer treatments, and diagnostic devices have not entered at all,' he said.

Official figures show roughly 3,250 cancer patients hold referrals for treatment abroad but remain unable to exit because the Rafah crossing is closed and medical evacuation channels are restricted.

The Strain on Medical Staff

The psychological and professional strain on the remaining medical workforce is severe. Some specialists have left Gaza. Those who remain struggle to provide care without the tools they need. 'What use is a doctor without tools?' Abu Nada asked. 'The doctor has nothing left to do but sit and cry next to this patient who is denied treatment and denied travel.'

Local clinicians, international agencies and patient families are appealing for sustained humanitarian access, prioritised delivery of cancer drugs, diagnostics and palliative medicines, and safe, timely medical evacuations for those who require care that cannot be provided locally.