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STORY: GAZA / CANCER PATIENTS
TRT: 05:30
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 04 FEBRUARY 2026, GAZA CITY
***THE FOLLOWING VIDEO INCLUDES CONTENT WHICH SOME VIEWERS WILL FIND DISTRESSING***
1. Various shots, destroyed buildings, Al-Shifa Medical Complex
2. Various shots, Oncology Department building, Al-Shifa Hospital
3. Various shots, patients
4. Various shots, Mundhir Abu Foul sitting on hospital bed due to his struggle with cancer
5. Various shots, Mundhir Abu Foul showing his treatment documents
6. Various shots, Mundhir Abu Foul crying over his health condition and pleading for treatment
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mundhir Abu Foul, patient:
"The health situation in the Gaza Strip is deteriorating, and there is no treatment or medicines. We are dying. Every day, two to three patients die here in this hospital. I cannot get out of bed due to the pain. We need a solution. Open the crossings properly so that God relieves us. Everyone will be held accountable by God, and everyone will be asked."
8. Various shots, Mohammad Hamo taking care of his elderly mother who is suffering from cancer
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohammad Hamo:
"We demand that treatment be provided either inside the Gaza Strip or that my mother be transferred outside the Gaza Strip. Otherwise, we remain standing while the patient dies without treatment or any medical means to help them recover. This is unacceptable to God and to people. We call on all Islamic, Arab, and international nations to look at the patients with mercy."
10. Various shots, Raed Abu Warda taking care of his brother, the cancer patient Hamid Abu Warda
11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Raed Abu Warda:
"This patient has been suffering from cancer for two years. His condition was mild and benign, but with the closure of crossings, and with a medical referral since his illness, he has been waiting all this time for the crossing to open for his treatment abroad. His pain has increased, as you can see in the picture. The disease has created a wound under his chin and is worsening daily. I stand and watch him, grieving for my brother because of the pain."
12. Various shots, patient Hamid Abu Warda lying on hospital bed
13. Various shots, Oncology Department at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City showing patients visiting
On World Cancer Day (4 Feb), local health organizations in the Gaza Strip warned that cancer patients are enduring extreme hardship and facing an uncertain fate as health conditions continue to deteriorate.
Around 11,000 patients are deprived of specialized treatment and diagnostic services both inside and outside the Gaza Strip, while 4,000 patients with medical referrals abroad have been waiting for over two years for the crossing to open and for their travel to be facilitated.
Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest in Gaza, reflects the scale of the crisis.
Its damaged buildings and the weak infrastructure of the Oncology Department reveal large numbers of patients waiting for specialized consultations and treatments that are unavailable.
Inside the department, patients suffer from shortages of medicines and essential medical equipment, while many endure chronic pain that prevents them from moving.
Among them, Mundhir Abu Foul sits on a hospital bed, in pain from chronic cancer, trying to show his treatment documents for care scheduled outside the Strip, but he has been unable to travel for over two years.
Abu Foul said: “The health situation in the Gaza Strip is deteriorating, and there is no treatment or medicine. We are dying. Every day, two to three patients die here in this hospital. I cannot get out of bed because of the pain. We need a solution. Open the crossings properly so that God relieves us. Everyone will be held accountable by God, and everyone will be asked.”
In another scene, Mohammad Hamo is shown caring for his elderly mother, who is suffering from cancer, calling for treatment to be provided inside the Strip or allowing her to be referred abroad.
Hamo said: “Otherwise, we remain standing while the patient dies without treatment or any medical means to help them recover. This is unacceptable to God and to people. We call on all Islamic, Arab, and international nations to look at the patients with mercy.”
Raed Abu Warda is also shown caring for his brother, Hamid Abu Warda, who suffers from severe complications due to delayed treatment.
Raed said: “This patient has been suffering from cancer for two years. His condition was mild and benign, but with the closure of crossings, and with a medical referral since his illness, he has been waiting all this time for the crossing to open for treatment abroad. His pain has increased, as you can see. The disease has caused a wound under his chin, and it worsens daily. I stand and watch him, grieving for my brother because of the pain.”
It is noteworthy that the number of patients visiting oncology departments in Gaza’s hospitals continues to rise, while adequate resources to meet their basic needs are lacking, further intensifying their suffering and leaving the future of incoming patients uncertain.
