Women in the Gaza Strip are enduring one of the cruelest tragedies of the modern era, as no aspect of their lives has been spared from devastation. They are being killed indiscriminately, lose their children and breadwinners, and are forced to flee repeatedly without access to safe shelter, food, water, or electricity. Amid this tragic reality, women suffer from diseases and injuries without access to treatment or medicine, facing a complete inability to meet even their most basic health needs.
This year, as the world marks Pink October– the month dedicated to raising awareness of breast cancer and promoting early detection- women in Gaza are deprived of this vital opportunity after Israel destroyed the entire health system.
There are more than 12,500 cancer patients in the Gaza Strip, with women accounting for approximately 52% of the total number of cases. Breast cancer ranks first among cancers detected in women, representing about 18.6% of all recorded cancer cases.1 According to the most recent data, 260 new cases of breast cancer were recorded in 2025 across Gaza and southern Gaza governorates, with the average age of female patients being 52 years.2
During the two years of genocide, preventive and early detection services for breast cancer have almost completely ceased due to the Israeli destruction of primary healthcare centers and the breakdown of medical imaging equipment, including mammography machines used for early screening and diagnosis. Currently, there is only one remaining device for breast cancer diagnosis in the entire Gaza Strip, located at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, making early detection almost impossible amid the overwhelming number of women in need of screening. Meanwhile, existing efforts are limited to small-scale awareness campaigns conducted by the Ministry of Health in cooperation with local organizations, along with basic bedside services provided by a few scattered clinics that are unable to meet the massive needs. This comes amid the suspension of national programs for early detection and prevention, which had constituted the backbone of the fight against disease before the war.3
As a result, most breast cancer cases are now being detected at advanced stages, significantly reducing survival rates and response to treatment. Even when patients manage to reach the diagnostic center, they often find no regular or adequate medication due to the severe shortage of chemotherapy and the interruption of successive treatment sessions. Moreover, radiotherapy services are completely unavailable in the Gaza Strip.4
This health catastrophe has deepened since the Palestinian-Turkish Friendship Hospital- the only cancer hospital in the Gaza Strip- was rendered completely out of service after being destroyed by the Israeli Occupation Forces. As a result, all chemotherapy and surgical services were suspended, forcing hundreds of female patients to postpone or entirely discontinue their treatment.5 The delay in diagnosis and treatment has led to the further spread of the disease into many patients’ body. Consequently, women with breast cancer now face a compounded humanitarian and health crisis, suffering not only from the absence of essential medical services but also from the severe deterioration of their social and psychological well-being.6
“On 30 April 2024, I felt a lump in my breast, and doctors advised me to undergo a biopsy. However, I was unable to do so until 10 days later, amid relentless bombardment and dire living conditions. On 17 May, I finally managed to take the sample. From September 2024 to April 2025, I received chemotherapy at the European Hospital under constant fear, repeated displacement, extreme heat, and inhumane conditions in my tent. This ordeal has completely drained my body and psychological well-being. The real struggle starts after leaving the hospital, when I lie on the sand without a bed, water, or electricity. With starvation spreading across Gaza, my health has severely deteriorated. I constantly feel hungry and crave cold water and nutritious food such as meat, dairy, juice, and vegetables—none of which are available. My physical endurance continues to weaken despite my desperate need for proper nutrition to resist the disease. After completing hormone therapy, I was told I needed radiotherapy, which is not available anywhere in the Gaza Strip. I obtained a medical referral for treatment abroad and am now waiting for my name to appear on the Ministry of Health’s travel lists. Every day, my fear grows that the disease might spread further in my body.”7
H. ‘A (46), Mother
Breast cancer patients in the Gaza Strip are facing a compounded and multifaceted crisis, as physical, psychological, and social factors intersect under catastrophic living conditions. The direct and indirect exposure to explosives and white phosphorus gas, along with constant anxiety, repeated displacement, and the total destruction of infrastructure, have severely affected their health and wellbeing. Consequently, the quality of their physical, mental, and occupational lives has sharply deteriorated, making it increasingly difficult to cope with the disease amid an environment of deprivation and suffering. Furthermore, food insecurity and malnutrition have reduced the effectiveness of available treatments, leading to heightened health complications and a rapid deterioration in patients’ conditions, rendering the cancer experience more painful and harsh. Regarding access to treatment abroad, only a limited number of cases have managed to travel, while around 3,000 patients remain in urgent need of medical referrals outside Gaza, hindered by the continued closure of crossings.8
Depriving women in Gaza of early breast cancer detection and delaying the diagnosis of the disease exposes them to the risk of a slow death. Moreover, the IOF’s denial of cancer patients’ access to treatment—both inside and outside the Gaza Strip—has led to the death of many patients and subjected the remaining women to life conditions deliberately calculated to bring about their physical destruction. This has inflicted severe bodily and mental harm, constituting acts that fall within the definition of the crime of genocide.
In this context, The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) calls on the international community to:
