In a devastating escalation, Israel’s relentless bombardment has forced the evacuation of the European Hospital in Khan Younis — Gaza’s only cancer treatment centre — placing the lives of 11,000 cancer patients in immediate peril. Dr. Mohammed Abu Nada, Director of the Gaza Cancer Center, described the situation as “a death sentence,” with patients now scattered across overwhelmed and damaged facilities lacking the medicines and equipment essential for survival.

The closure of all border crossings has sealed Gaza off entirely. Since the war began, only 2,000 cancer patients have managed to leave the besieged territory for treatment. The remaining 11,000 now face an impossible reality: no radiotherapy, almost no chemotherapy, and dwindling access to safe blood supplies. Hospitals like Nasser Medical Complex and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital are struggling to absorb patients without adequate resources, as Israeli strikes continue to target medical infrastructure.

Dr. Abu Nada warned that patients are not just victims of disease but of war. The destruction of the European Hospital came after repeated shelling landed within 50 metres of the Cancer Center. Some patients were evacuated in critical condition, immediately requiring ICU care — which is now almost non-existent due to staff shortages and the decimation of medical supplies.

The Gaza Health Ministry has confirmed that 85% of the territory’s healthcare system has been destroyed. Dr. Munir Al-Bursh condemned the use of banned weapons on civilian infrastructure and called attention to the collapse of sanitation and water services, further accelerating the health crisis. Meanwhile, chemotherapy drugs, IV solutions, and cancer specialists are in such short supply that doctors are forced to choose who receives care — and who dies.

As Gaza’s healthcare system lies in ruins, Israel’s blockade continues to starve patients of treatment and dignity. The international community must act urgently to open the crossings, provide medical aid, and end a war that is rapidly transforming illness into an instrument of genocide.