The Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) continue to commit worst atrocities and genocidal acts against the Gaza Strip population with their devastating impacts particularly affecting women who are left without any protection. Women are killed and forcibly displaced from one place to another amid no essential needs to lead a dignified life. Mothers lose their children and breadwinners one after another, pregnant women are denied healthcare and safe childbirth in humane conditions is a far-off hope. Women’s suffering aggravates as Pink October—a global month to encourage women to get early breast cancer detection—comes to an end. For the second consecutive year, women in Gaza are deprived of this essential, lifesaving right because of Israel’s complete destruction of Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure, including the sole cancer treatment hospital, the Turkish Palestinian Friendship Hospital, which has been forced to shut down.
The struggle for early screening and treatment remains a massive challenge against breast cancer, a deadly disease that has taken a significant toll in Gaza even before 07 October 2023. Breast cancer is the most common cancer (accounting about 20% of all cancer cases1) among women in Gaza, where the overall survival is just 65%. Yet, early diagnosis and effective treatment can raise survival rates worldwide to over 80%. This tragic disparity is due to a severe shortage of essential medicines and medical equipment, resulting from Israel’s 17-year-long closure on the Gaza Strip.2
Depriving women of early detection occurs as IOF have dropped 85,500 tons of explosives on the Gaza Strip since 07 October 2023 3, a weight multiple times greater than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing hazardous environmental and health consequences. Studies indicate that intense exposure to heavy metal as a result of these explosions significantly increases the risk of serious diseases, including cancer. Dr. Subhi Skaik, director of the Turkish Palestinian Friendship Hospital, stated:
“Early detection is especially crucial for women exposed to certain risk factors, such as carcinogens and chemical pollutants from weapons used in conflict. Women in Gaza are subjected to multiple forms of weaponry, including white phosphorus and heavy metals like tungsten and nickel, which heighten cancer risks. The health impacts of these substances do not show immediately but often emerge years later, explaining Gaza’s alarming cancer rates. Previous studies conducted jointly between Gaza’s health sector and delegations from Italy and Norway a decade ago already confirmed the presence of carcinogens in the weapons used, leading to a notable rise in cancer cases among Gaza’s population. Each year, more than 366 new breast cancer cases are diagnosed in Gaza—an average of one case per day based on 2022 data. In 2023 and 2024, we faced diagnostic challenges due to ongoing Israeli military aggression. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in Gaza at a rate of 34.5% per 100,000 people after lung cancer. Hence, not having the early breast cancer detection poses a significant threat to women’s health and lives.”
Meanwhile, cancer patients in Gaza face immense challenges due to the lack of treatment following the shutdown of Turkish Palestinian Friendship Hospital, the only cancer treatment hospital in the Gaza Strip. Although the medical personnel attempts to offer care in other hospitals, targeted attacks on healthcare facilities and drugs shortages, including painkillers, prevent adequate treatment. Additionally, the Israeli authorities are blocking the travel of these patients for medical treatment. Since 07 October 2023, the Beit Hanoun ‘Erez’ crossing has been closed, denying hundreds of female patients’ access to healthcare in the West Bank, Israel, and Jordan. Patients also suffer from dire health conditions due to exposure to explosives and internationally prohibited white phosphorus, as well as the prolonged forced displacement and walks under the threat of bombing. Shelters also lack the minimum requirements for health and isolation, increasing the risk of infectious diseases outbreak. Furthermore, Israel’s policy of starvation has nearly eradicated access to healthy food and clean water, severely threatening their health and increasing risks of complications and death.
Ms. Neveen Hussein Mohammed/Al-Jedyan (41), reported to PCHR’s staff:
“In 2017, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and I began my long journey with chemotherapy and radiotherapy at Al-Mutlaa Hospital in Jerusalem after obtaining a referral from the Ministry of Health. Traveling for treatment was difficult, but PCHR was always there for me, helping me overcome those obstacles. Just days before the war, I was undergoing regular breast screenings every six months at the Turkish Palestinian Friendship Hospital, which has been out of service since the war began. My last screening was in August 2023, and the next was scheduled for December 2023, but with the onset of war, I have not been able to consult anyone regarding my health, nor have I had any follow-up or checkup. Currently, I suffer from severe stomach and joint pain, and the doctor in the camp’s medical point advised me to see a specialist, but I cannot. Every morning, I start my battle with life, cooking, filling water after a long queue and doing other exhausting chores. I fear my illness will return under these harsh conditions.”
Ms. Kefaya Fathi Mohammed Abu Mo’wad (36) also stated:
“I have had breast cancer for three years, but it was discovered late. The doctor told me I needed to undergo mastectomy, which was supposed to be done before the war started, but the war has deprived me of my right to treatment. In the beginning of the war, I was displaced to UNRWA schools in Al-Nuseirat, where we live in constant fear, and my health deteriorates day by day, especially since I have not started treatment yet. Living conditions in the shelter are terrible; there is no healthy food, only canned food that harms my health. We lack essential vitamins and painkillers. The continuation of the war impedes my treatment, exacerbates my pain, and increases my fear of death.”
The denial of early breast cancer detection and late diagnosis exposes Gaza’s women to slow death, a violation that falls under the third act of genocide; “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about is physical destruction in whole or in part 4;” Moreover, Israel’s denial of access to treatment for cancer patients within or outside Gaza has led to the deaths of many and subjected others to life conditions that destroy them physically, causing serious bodily and mental harm to them. This falls under Israel’s commission of the first three acts outlined in Article 3 of the Genocide Convention.5
In light of the above, PCHR calls on the international community to exert pressure on Israel and compel it to:
- Cease all acts of genocide against Palestinian civilians and Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure, enabling women and all residents to access essential medical care.
- Implement provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance and cease all forms of violence. This includes allowing the Turkish Palestinian Friendship Hospital to operate at full capacity and supply it with all essential medicines and treatments.
- Fulfill legal obligations as an occupying power by ensuring all individuals enjoy the right to the highest attainable standard of health and unrestricted access to healthcare.
- Interview conducted by PCHR’s staff with Dr. Subhi Skaik, Director of Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital on 27 October 2024. ↩︎
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WHO: Gaza patients’ painful journey to cancer treatment:
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Statement No. (657) issued by the Government Media Office:
- Such ‘slow death’ measures do not aim to kill individuals immediately, but rather seek to gradually destroy them physically through the deliberate deprivation of resources needed for survival such as food and medical care. ↩︎
- “(a) Killing members of the group; (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part” ↩︎