Gaza's 10,000 cancer patients left without medicine
The head of a hospital in Gaza reported on Monday that 10,000 cancer patients are without essential medicine after their only specialized hospital was put out of service by the Israeli army during the early days of Israel's intense assault on Gaza.
Dr. Subhi Skaik, director of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital for Cancer, stated, "Since the hospital was forced to shut down, these patients are facing dire and inhumane circumstances. They now have no access to cancer medicine."
Skaik called for global support to restore the hospital, highlighting its critical role as the sole cancer treatment facility in Gaza.
The Gaza Health Ministry announced in late October that the hospital, severely damaged by Israeli bombing, had ceased operations. Constructed between 2011-2017 with funding from the Turkish government, the hospital was the only one in Gaza dedicated to cancer treatment. It has six floors, spans 34,800 square meters (about 375,000 square feet), and houses 180 beds.
Since the Hamas attack on October 7, Israel has conducted heavy bombardments in the Gaza Strip. According to local health authorities, these have resulted in at least 21,978 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and 57,697 injuries. In contrast, approximately 1,200 Israelis, including soldiers, are believed to have died in the Hamas attack on October 7.
