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

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Israel’s war and siege on Gaza are worsening access to breast cancer detection and treatment, with women in Deir el-Balah and elsewhere facing delayed diagnoses, shortages of medicine and diagnostic equipment, and long waits for referrals out of the territory. The report centers on patients at Yafa Medical Hospital, where doctors say mammography services are frequently unavailable and the health system is strained by damage, supply gaps and ongoing displacement.

One patient, Esad Darwish, said she postponed seeking care after noticing symptoms because the mammography machine was not working and daily family responsibilities consumed her time. Physicians told Al Jazeera that many women arrive with more advanced disease than before the war, reflecting delays in screening and treatment. Dr. Hala al-Buhaisi said the hospital has seen a substantial rise in late-stage cancer cases, while Dr. Omar al-Za’anin stressed that early detection is critical because it can greatly improve survival.

The report also highlights the broader bottleneck facing patients who need treatment outside Gaza. Al-Buhaisi said thousands of women are still waiting to travel for care, and that delays can be deadly. Al Jazeera also recounted the case of Marah Ghabayen, a 28-year-old mother who died after waiting for medical evacuation and encountering severe treatment shortages. The article presents the crisis as part of the wider collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system during the war.