‘Longer we wait, worse it gets’: Struggle of Gaza’s breast cancer patients

What Happened

Al Jazeera reports from Deir el-Balah that breast cancer care in Gaza has collapsed under Israeli military operations and blockade, leaving patients like 36-year-old Hiba Musbah of eastern Deir el-Balah with delayed diagnosis, scarce medicines, and no access to radiotherapy. Musbah noticed lumps in January 2024, a few months after the war began; her surgery at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis was delayed by two months because of Israeli military attacks around the hospital, and her chemotherapy was delayed seven months because medicines were unavailable. After seven rounds of chemotherapy, with an eighth scheduled next week, she says her condition has deteriorated; she needs a CT scan but public hospitals lack equipment, a private scan costs 150 shekels ($48), and appointment waits exceed three months. She has had a medical referral for about two years but says Israel has not granted security approval to leave Gaza.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The collapse of oncology services compounds Gaza's humanitarian crisis from the war and blockade, with delayed diagnosis and treatment leading to preventable disease progression and deaths, particularly among women. The gap between pre-war and wartime case registrations—360 annually before the war versus 250 in 2024 and about 260 in 2025—combined with collapsed screening suggests a hidden surge of undiagnosed cancers that will burden the health system long after hostilities. Exit restrictions for medical referrals make the situation a matter of access and movement controlled by Israel, carrying legal and humanitarian implications.

Watch For

Monitor whether Hiba Musbah receives Israeli security approval to exit Gaza ahead of her eighth chemotherapy session next week, and whether she obtains a CT scan through public or private facilities. Track Gaza Ministry of Health updates on breast cancer case registries, repair of mammography machines, restocking of chemotherapy and hormonal therapies, and any resumption of radiotherapy or advanced tumour surgery. Watch for any change in medical evacuation routes or crossing policies at Rafah or other exits, and whether international health actors report increased oncology needs or supply deliveries.