On Monday, Palestinian health authorities said that the lack of medicines threatens the lives of more than 9,000 cancer patients in the Gaza Strip.
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"Cancer patients in the Gaza Strip suffer from a lack of diagnostic and treatment capabilities, with the increasing number of cancer patients among the population of the Gaza Strip," Subhi Skaik, director general of the Gaza Cancer Center, said at a press conference.
According to Skaik, the high rate of tumors, citing data from the World Health Organization. The incidence of cancer in the Strip has reached 91.3 per 100,000 residents in 2021 and is projected to double by 2040. The current cancer death rate is 12.5 percent.
Moreover, several reports state that the patients in Gaza lack access to radiotherapy and nuclear medicine for diagnosis.
Skaik also called on the international community and the authorities concerned to intervene urgently to save the lives of cancer patients in the Strip.
Official data shows that since 2007, some 2 million Palestinians residing in the coastal enclave have been under Israeli blockade after the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) seized control of the territory.
Israel's travel restrictions impede the patients from accessing life-saving treatment in the West Bank or East Jerusalem.