Gaza Herald_Four to five cancer patients are dying every day in Gaza after being deprived of life-saving treatment, as the healthcare system continues to collapse under Israel’s ongoing siege and military campaign.
With chemotherapy and radiotherapy services nearly halted, severe shortages of essential medicines, and thousands of patients unable to leave the enclave for treatment, medical and human rights organizations warn that cancer patients are facing an accelerating humanitarian catastrophe.
The Gaza Center for Human Rights warned of an unprecedented rise in cancer-related deaths across the Gaza Strip, citing the near-total collapse of oncology services and Israel’s continued restrictions on medical evacuations.
In a statement, the organization highlighted comments by Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, who said between four and five cancer patients are dying every day after being completely deprived of chemotherapy.
According to Abu Salmiya, around 4,000 cancer patients in Gaza are currently at risk of death because chemotherapy is unavailable. He also said that more than half of Gaza’s essential medicines are out of stock, while over 70 percent of critical medical supplies have been depleted.
The World Health Organization estimated that, by the end of December 2025, approximately 12,500 people in Gaza were living with cancer, with more than 2,000 new cases diagnosed each year, including 122 children.
The center said intravenous chemotherapy and routine oncology care have been almost entirely suspended since mid-2025. It added that at least 1,400 patients have died while waiting for permission to travel abroad for treatment, while thousands more remain on medical referral lists awaiting Israeli approval for life-saving care.
The organization stressed that the figures represent only part of a much broader crisis. It described the case of a displaced woman living in a tent in the Nuseirat refugee camp whose lymphoma worsened after delays in diagnostic tests, treatment, and medical evacuation caused her condition to advance.
Another patient, who previously underwent a bone marrow transplant, described her health steadily deteriorating after biological therapy was interrupted months ago. She said the lack of pain medication has left her in constant suffering as she continues waiting for a travel permit despite already holding an approved medical referral.
The Gaza Center for Human Rights said Israel’s actions violate its obligations as an occupying power under Articles 55 and 56 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which require the provision of medical supplies and the maintenance of healthcare services for the protected population.
The organization added that the deliberate deprivation of medicine and treatment violates the right to health under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and constitutes collective punishment prohibited under Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. It further said that continuing these policies despite their foreseeable deadly consequences amounts to war crimes under the Rome Statute and forms part of what it described as a systematic genocide.
The center criticized the international community for failing to act while the crisis deepens. It called for the immediate and sustained opening of all crossings to allow the entry of chemotherapy drugs, radiotherapy equipment, and other essential medical supplies without delay or restrictions.
It also urged the unconditional approval of medical travel permits for all patients, particularly those with confirmed treatment referrals, and called for an international mechanism to oversee medical evacuations and hold accountable those responsible for obstructing them. The organization further appealed to UN agencies and international health organizations to provide urgent logistical and medical support to Gaza’s collapsing oncology departments.
The center warned that, without immediate international intervention, preventable deaths among cancer patients will continue to rise, leaving thousands of people trapped without access to the treatment that could save their lives. It said every day of delay further deepens one of the most severe healthcare crises Gaza has faced, as critically ill patients continue to wait for medicines and medical evacuation that may never arrive.
