Palestinian cancer patients have died due to lack of treatment in Gaza: Officials

Palestinian health authorities say a number of cancer patients in the Gaza Strip have died due to a lack of the necessary medical supplies to treat them as Israel continues to target hospitals in the northern part of the enclave.

Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in the besieged enclave, is currently under Israeli siege, and reports have emerged that dozens of dead bodies are currently inside the medical facility with nowhere to go.

A spokesman for the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has said that al-Shifa Hospital doesn't have the capacity or resources to treat the sick or wounded.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor warned on Wednesday that thousands of Gazan patients face a slow death due to the severe lack of medical care.

The Israeli attacks and targeting of hospitals, along with Israel’s cutting off of humanitarian supplies, have put hundreds of cancer and chronic disease patients, pregnant women, and newborn babies at risk of death, the international human rights group warned.

Euro-Med Monitor also drew attention to the grave dangers associated with Gaza’s worsening health service deficit.

Two premature babies die, 37 at risk in under-siege al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza

The head of al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip says two premature babies have lost their lives after the neonatal intensive care unit at the besieged area’s largest medical facility stopped working due to a lack of electricity.

Prior to the recent Israeli military campaign in the Strip, the territory was already severely underfunded, and cancer patients in particular faced difficulties in receiving the medical care they required despite their urgent health needs.

The Euro-Med Monitor team has documented the deaths of at least 12 cancer patients in the Gaza Strip, following the closure of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital.

The facility, the only hospital in the strip that specialized in treating cancer patients, shut down nearly a fortnight ago, and other hospitals in Gaza lack the ability to provide such patients with the care that is necessary for their survival.

WHO loses contact with al-Shifa Hospital amid Israeli attacks

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it had lost communication with its contacts at al-Shifa Hospital, with the UN agency fearing that they have joined the tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza.

“WHO has grave concerns for the safety of the health workers, hundreds of sick and injured patients, including babies on life support and displaced people who remain inside the hospital,” the organization said.

“Patients seeking health care should never be exposed to fear, and health workers who have taken an oath to treat them should never be forced to risk their own lives to provide care,” it highlighted.

WHO added that there have been reports that some people who fled the hospital have “been shot at, wounded and even killed.”

People sheltering in UN office in Gaza killed in attack

Furthermore, Achim Steiner, head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), wrote in a post published on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the office of the United Nations agency in Gaza was shelled last night.

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Steiner said there were reports of deaths and injuries “among those who sought safety in our compound”.

“This is wrong on every count. Civilians, civilian infrastructure & the inviolability of UN facilities must be always protected,” he noted.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the coastal enclave, including hospitals, residences, and houses of worship, since Palestinian resistance movements launched their surprise attack, dubbed Operation al-Aqsa Storm, against the regime on October 7.

At least 11,078 Palestinians have been killed, including 4,506 children and 3,027 women. More than 27,400 individuals have sustained injuries as well.

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