RAFIF ESLEEM

Gaza-In the Gaza Strip, cancer patients cannot access treatment due to Israel's siege and inadequate health services for cancer patients in the city. More than 3,000 cancer patients have died in the Gaza Strip due to the travel ban by Israel and the delay in the implementation of treatment protocol, according to statistics published by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip.

 More than 8,000 cancer patients suffer in Gaza due to the lack of necessary treatment for them, according to the report released in October 2022 by Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, a non-governmental human rights organization based in the Gaza Strip.

20-year-old Aya Murad is one of the cancer patients waiting for travel permission to receive treatment.

 ‘Every passing minute puts my life in danger’

Aya Murad has been waiting for a travel permission to receive treatment in other countries because her treatment is not available in any of the Gaza Strip’s hospitals.

“Cancer patients wait for a long period to get permission to travel. I have to wait a long time to obtain some medicines that are rarely found in public hospitals or private clinics. Time is no longer in my favor. Every passing minute puts my life in danger. I suffer from dizziness, hair loss and nausea due to the side effects of cancer medicines. Cancer treatment is a harsh treatment. Being denied access to treatment causes trauma in me,” Aya Murad told NuJINHA.

 ‘My treatment has turned into a vicious circle’

 Due to the deterioration of her health condition, the doctors recommended her to receive a bone marrow transplant from one of her brothers. “My treatment has turned into a vicious circle because I cannot receive a bone marrow transplant in the Gaza Strip and a travel permission.”

‘Treatment is a legal and obligatory right for every individual’

Speaking about the right to treatment, lawyer and human rights defender Hadeel Hamouda emphasized the need to ensure access to all health services provided by the Ministry of Health and called for the implementation of all national and international laws and conventions, adding, “Treatment is a legal and obligatory right for every individual.”

‘Israel does not give permission to cancer patients for flimsy reasons’

“The Israel’s ongoing siege prevents the entry of medicines and health equipment in the Gaza Strip,” Hadeel Hamouda said, “Israel violates international conventions and its own laws by preventing cancer patients from receiving treatment for flimsy reasons.”