Slow genocide: Death and displacement continue in Gaza months into ceasefire
Slow genocide: Death and displacement continue in Gaza months into ceasefire
The ceasefire has halted the majority of aerial assaults, yet the relentless spread of illness persists in Najat Sayed al-Hessi’s body.
The 61-year-old Palestinian resident of Gaza has endured 27 months without access to her monthly cancer treatments, receiving none in that time.
“Nothing has changed for cancer patients in Gaza since the ceasefire,” she told Middle East Eye, as the disease advances without intervention.
Al-Hessi’s situation mirrors the broader crisis, where nearly two million people remain trapped in severe hardship three months after the conflict pause.
Medical referrals for care outside the territory have ceased, leaving hospitals unable to provide essential cancer treatments.
“I had an appointment to travel to Ramallah for my medication and injection on 7 October 2023, the day the war began,” she explained from her makeshift tent in Deir al-Balah. “I couldn’t go that day, and I have been waiting ever since.”
For patients like al-Hessi, the pause in hostilities has brought no relief. Of 11,000 cancer patients in the Gaza Strip, around 3,500 hold referrals for treatment abroad, but Israeli authorities have barred their departure.
She received a referral six months ago, yet it has become a dead end due to closed borders. During a recent visit to her local clinic for back pain, she found no medications available, leaving her without treatment for a slipped disc and osteoporosis.
“I asked them to give me anything, at least some vitamins, but they said they had nothing for my case,” she recalled.
The Palestinian health ministry stated that Israeli restrictions have caused severe shortages across the healthcare system.
“The last time I saw a doctor, he told me the cancer may have reached my lungs,” al-Hessi said. “I am dying slowly.”
Dr Muhammad Abunada, medical director at the Gaza Cancer Centre, noted a 70% shortfall in critical medications and analgesics, as Israeli authorities continue to block medical supplies from entering Gaza.
“The remaining 30 percent are largely ineffective, because if a cancer patient needs three types of drugs, usually only one or two are available, while the others are missing,” Dr Abunada said. “This makes the drugs they do have largely useless, since they require combination with others for proper care.”
He added that death rates among cancer patients have doubled or even tripled since the conflict began. Before the war, one cancer patient died per day; now, two or three are losing their lives daily.
Research indicates that the rise in mortality is not confined to cancer patients but affects the entire population. The most recent data highlights newborns, with the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) reporting a 75% surge in stillbirth rates during the final three months of the war.
Between July and September, an average of 47 newborn deaths were recorded each month, nearly double the 2022 average of 27.
“We are still living under the same threats and circumstances, only with less noise,” al-Hessi remarked. “The ceasefire has shifted the intensity of the genocide, but the suffering continues.”
Despite eased military attacks, Israeli bombardments and gunfire still claim Palestinian lives almost daily. Dozens of families face the risk of forced displacement, losing homes to ongoing incursions and land annexation efforts.