Between tumours and trauma, Gaza’s sick face war beyond the frontlines

As medical supplies dwindle and Israeli restrictions on aid deepen, critically ill patients in Gaza are struggling to access life-saving treatment. 

Doctors and humanitarian organisations warn that shortages of essential medicines are pushing vulnerable people, including cancer patients, toward irreversible health crises.

Hani Abu Abed, a 40-year-old cancer patient living in a tent in Gaza City, is cut off from the treatment he needs. 

He says each day brings new fear and physical decline.

“I feel death slowly gnawing at my body,” Abu Abed says. 

“Inside me, a tumour grows with each passing day. Without treatment, I grow weaker. All I feel is fear and the slow approach of death.”

“At the very least, I have the right to receive treatment and recover. My life is at risk because Israel is preventing my treatment from reaching me,” he adds.

In December, Israeli authorities announced plans to bar 37 humanitarian organisations from operating in Gaza from March 1 after they declined to provide detailed information about their Palestinian staff.

Humanitarian groups, including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), warn that ongoing restrictions and the threat of further closures are disrupting medical deliveries and placing additional strain on an already fragile healthcare system.

"Chemotherapy burns our veins, causes nausea and suffocation, and brings excruciating pain. I long for this treatment period to end so I can return to a normal life. I am exhausted from postponed doses,” he continues.

"I fear my condition will deteriorate. The tumour may grow again and spread. I may need to start over, or die because of this blockade.”

In a situation where Israeli strikes in the enclave have destroyed the infrastructure, MSF continues to provide essential health services such as cancer treatment, burn care, malnutrition monitoring, health education, and water purification. 

Approximately 637,000 Palestinians in Gaza, representing one-third of the population, rely directly on its services.

These figures depict lives in danger and children on the verge of death.

Jumping into the fire

Nermin Al-Sabbagh, a 44-year-old mother in Gaza, says the war has left deep scars on her 13-year-old daughter, both physical and psychological. 

Pulled from the rubble after an attack, the girl now struggles with severe depression, shaped by months of bombardment, fear and forced displacement.

“I couldn’t believe it when my daughter laughed for the first time after months of isolation and fear,” Al-Sabbagh tells TRT World.

“I am terrified that her laughter will vanish. Without medicine, she cannot recover."

MSF provides psychological support and medication that restored her daughter’s ability to speak and engage.

Without ongoing support, each day risks the return of fear and trauma that could cause irreversible psychological damage, Al-Sabbagh says. 

“The counsellor taught my daughter how to manage her fear and cope with the sound of bombing. My daughter improved. The treatment allowed her to speak again and participate in daily life,” she says.

“With the healthcare and nutrition provided by MSF, I felt that my daughter was okay."

A growing dispute between Israel and MSF centres on Israeli demands that the organisation share sensitive information about its staff as a condition for continuing operations.

MSF has rejected the request, warning that such disclosures could endanger its personnel and undermine the principles of humanitarian independence. 

The organisation says any suspension of its work would have severe consequences for patients in Gaza, where medical services are already on the brink of collapse.

"I lived through harsh days with my daughter's illness, facing a thousand spectres of death at once," Al-Sabbagh says.

The crisis in Gaza’s medical supplies has worsened since the Israeli war in October 2023 began, killing 1,700 healthcare workers, and Israel has destroyed 96 hospitals and medical centres, rendering them out of service throughout the conflict.

Pharmacies are empty, and medication is expensive. MSF provides much of it free of charge.

"Without MSF, I could not have found treatment for my daughter. Psychiatric medications are only available through them. Delays or interruptions could worsen her condition,” Al-Sabbagh says.

"She would shiver whenever a plane passed. She would lash out when she heard metal scraping the ground. No matter how hard we tried to comfort her, we couldn’t."

Despite restrictions on the entry of medication, medical interventions alleviate illness in Gaza, and Palestinians in the enclave cling to any chance for recovery.

“I don’t want my daughter to witness death again. No one wants to jump into a fire."

Dwindling healthcare

R.H., an MSF administrative supervisor identified only by initials in line with organisational policy, points to the broader context:

“Our teams cover a wide swath of Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure. Our absence would mean a real catastrophe”.

She monitors malnutrition caused by starvation, administers treatment for chronic illnesses, follows up on burn patients, and ensures access to safe drinking water. 

Every service is now at risk, and every staff member faces unemployment, she says. 

The number of MSF employees in Gaza is approximately 1,400.

Every interruption worsens the disease, child mortality, and the spread of epidemics, R.H. says.

Aid groups say these cases reflect only a small portion of the humanitarian impact after two years of war.

The effects are visible in daily life: patients struggling to access treatment, children coping with trauma, concerns over water quality and disease, limited maternal healthcare, rising unemployment and growing food insecurity.

With uncertainty surrounding access to aid and operational restrictions, the future of healthcare provision in Gaza remains unclear.

"Blocking our services means stopping treatment for diabetes, kidney disease, hypertension, and more. Over 30,000 patients and injured individuals in need of urgent treatment abroad are being deprived due to restrictions imposed by the occupation,” R.H tells TRT World.

“Likewise, burn victims, children with congenital deformities, and newborns with low birth weight depend on immediate medical care.”