Israel’s siege on Gaza is creating a breast cancer crisis

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkDoctor Hala al-Buhaisi has noticed an increase in women entering the hospital with advanced stages of breast cancer [Eman Abu Zayed/Al Jazeera]By Eman Abu ZayedPublished On 18 Aug 202618 Aug 2026Deir el-Balah, Gaza – Esad Darwish, 42, holds her medical file tightly as she waits in line at Yafa Medical Hospital to see a doctor.She glances at the physician’s door as the corridor fills up with more patients and their companions, waiting patiently for her name to be called out.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘No freedom at all’: Israeli closures leave West Bank patients trappedlist 2 of 4War and shortages push Gaza hospitals to breaking pointlist 3 of 4Remembering Anas, Mohammed and Gaza’s other slain journalistslist 4 of 4Autism and war: Gaza families grapple with destruction and lossend of listHer experience with breast cancer began at the start of July when she noticed signs of the disease. Massive disruptions to healthcare, caused by Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, and the demands of her home in Deir el-Balah meant Esad delayed seeing a doctor.“I felt that something was not normal, but the mammography machine was not available,” she told Al Jazeera. “Every day I told myself I would go tomorrow, but my responsibilities at home, from cooking and washing to taking care of my family, kept taking my time.”Waiting for treatmentSince being diagnosed with breast cancer, Esad fills her days with medical appointments, examinations, and long waits for treatment in a healthcare system that is collapsing under the pressure of Israel’s war on Gaza.She has more questions than answers and faces long, agonising waits for the results of every examination.Since the siege on Gaza tightened after the war began in October 2023, there has been a lack of medicine, medical equipment, and specialised diagnostic services.The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there are around 10,000 cancer cases in Gaza, with more than 2,000 new cases diagnosed annually.Breast cancer remains one of the most common types of cancer among women. Outcomes of the disease largely depend on early diagnosis and timely access to appropriate care, but these are difficult to find in a war zone. The mammography machine at Yafa Medical Hospital in Deir el-Balah is frequently “out of action”, and spare parts are hard to find.Physician Dr. Hala al-Buhaisi said women are left in a “cycle of confusion and exhaustion” due to the difficulties in getting proper diagnosis and treatment.“[The war] has stopped access to healthcare services that are responsible for detecting and treating breast cancer,” she told Al Jazeera.Lacking medicineDuring the conflict, al-Buhaisi has noticed an increase in women entering the hospital with advanced stages of cancer.Women are often too busy keeping their families alive – by fetching water or cooking food – to go to the hospital, tasks made even more time-consuming, exhausting and dangerous as the war continues.Since the beginning of the war, Yafa Hospital has recorded a 40 percent or higher increase in cases with advanced stages of cancer.Al-Buhaisi says that more than 4,000 women are still waiting to travel outside Gaza to complete their treatment, and this can have serious consequences for patients’ wellbeing.“Out of every 100 cases, we lose five patients due to delays in travel, and this is a dangerous indicator,” she said.Shortages in radiotherapy and a scarcity of oncology medications are also leading to slower recovery rates.Al-Buhaisi said that patients also require essential psychological support. Living conditions in Gaza – with all its anxieties, turmoil, and grief – place additional psychological pressure on patients and affect their recovery. Dr. Omar al-Za’anin, an oncology physician at the hospital, said that mammography is the first line of defence for the early detection of breast cancer. Delayed diagnosis means fewer treatment options or more serious medical interventions.“The device can detect small tumours and microcalcifications before clinical symptoms appear, at stages when treatment is more effective,” he told Al Jazeera.“The earlier the disease is detected, the higher the chances of recovery and survival, with survival rates reaching more than 95 percent in some cases.”The life of 28-year-old Marah Ghabayen shows the consequences of this crisis.Marah, the mother of a four-year-old girl, was diagnosed with stage-two breast cancer and was waiting for a medical referral that would help her leave Gaza for treatment.During the wait, she faced difficulties in accessing appropriate treatment due to medical shortages, and according to her family, she was treated with medication that had expired.On her way out of Gaza, Marah suffered two cardiac arrests and was taken to Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, where she died.“I saw her holding on to hope despite the pain,” Marah’s mother, Samaher Aldeni, told Al Jazeera.“She was only waiting for a chance to receive treatment and return to her daughter. The hardest part was watching time pass while her condition was getting worse.”Marah’s four-year-old daughter, Esraa, faces life without her mother amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.“She used to ask about her mother and wait for her to return,” Samaher said. “She did not understand why her mother was late, and why she did not come back.”