Gaza cancer patients miss treatment as Israel closes border

Israel-Palestine conflict has caused many casualties, and its impact on cancer patients is no exception.

Gaza resident Dina El-Dhani is one of 432 cancer patients who have been unable to receive treatment since Tuesday when Israel launched attacks on the Islamic Jihad militant group, leading to a surge in cross-border violence.

Due to shortages of medical equipment and medicine, Gaza’s hospitals are unable to provide proper care for cancer patients, so most travel to Israel, the occupied West Bank, or other countries for treatment.

However, since the border closed, cancer patients have been unable to cross, with 27 of them listed as “life-saving” referrals.

The closures of the crossings have been under constant threat of Palestinian rocket fire and remained shut, leaving many patients waiting for their treatments, and further worsening their medical conditions.