‘Longer we wait, worse it gets’: Struggle of Gaza’s breast cancer patients

Breast cancer patients in Gaza face delayed diagnoses, medicine shortages and limited access to scans and treatment, leaving many fearing their condition is worsening.

Hiba Musbah, 36, has been battling breast cancer in Gaza since 2024, facing delays in treatment and shortages of medicine [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]

Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip – Hiba Musbah has already been through seven rounds of chemotherapy for the breast cancer that is plaguing her body. Next week will be the eighth.

But the 36-year-old mother of three, from eastern Deir el-Balah, says her condition has continued to deteriorate as she waits to travel outside Gaza for further treatment.

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“I can no longer take care of my children as I used to. My son is the one who helps me,” she told Al Jazeera. Her husband Motaz, who has a heart condition, has had to take on more responsibility as her health has worsened, caring for their three children – Mohammed, 13, Jaber, 10, and Ahmad, eight.

Musbah first noticed lumps around her right breast in January 2024, a few months after the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. At the time, she initially ignored them because she was displaced and the war was intensifying. Her mother eventually insisted that she seek medical attention.

Doctors confirmed it was cancer, but despite needing urgent surgery, it took two months for Musbah to be operated on, with the delay caused by Israeli military attacks around the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, where she was being treated.

“The situation was difficult, with the bombardment and the tanks,” she said. “I delayed the operation because of the war. The last time, I nearly died from tank fire, so I postponed the operation.”

Her chemotherapy was initially also delayed for seven months because medicines were unavailable at Nasser Hospital.

Musbah’s experience reflects the reality facing hundreds of women with breast cancer in Gaza, where Israel’s war and blockade have severely weakened the health system’s ability to diagnose and treat the disease.

Shortages of medicines and medical equipment, broken diagnostic machines, the absence of radiotherapy and difficulties leaving the Gaza Strip for specialised care have turned the fight against cancer into another struggle amid Gaza’s deepening health and humanitarian crisis.

Breast cancer patient Hiba Musbah has been unable to get a computerised tomography (CT) scan for three months as her condition worsens and treatment options remain limited [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]

Surgery, chemotherapy and the cost of waiting

The lack of access to diagnostic equipment is now another source of anxiety for Musbah. She explains that she needs a new computerised tomography (CT) scan to assess how her condition has progressed, but has been unable to obtain one because the equipment is unavailable at public hospitals.

A private hospital has a scanner, she said, but the examination costs about 150 shekels ($48), which she cannot afford. The waiting time for an appointment can also exceed three months.

“I am now suffering from pain in my back and leg, and I have not had a scan for three months because the equipment is unavailable,” she said. “My doctor told me he was concerned that the disease might have spread through my body, but I still do not know.”

Musbah now struggles to walk and move one of her arms, and experiences pain in her shoulder, legs and eyes, as well as damage to her hair and nails during treatment.

“If I had received treatment early, things would not have reached this point. My condition has become much more difficult because my treatment was delayed,” she said. “Cancer patients also need good food, fruit, meat, fresh produce, but we cannot afford everything we need.”

According to Musbah, she has been waiting for around two years to leave Gaza for treatment after receiving a medical referral. But Israel, which controls all entry and exit from Gaza , has yet to give her security approval to travel.

“I want to travel, receive treatment and get better,” Musbah said. “I want to regain my health and return to the way I was before.”

Iman al-Haj Ahmad, a doctor diagnosed with breast cancer, helps women in Gaza access screening and support while awaiting treatment herself [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, the Gaza Strip recorded about 360 new breast cancer cases annually before the war, compared with 250 in 2024 and around 260 in 2025.

The ministry has warned that these figures may not reflect the true number of cases because screening and early-diagnosis services have largely collapsed, potentially leaving hundreds of patients undiagnosed.

In a statement on October 1, the ministry said repeated breakdowns of mammography machines and shortages of laboratory supplies had severely restricted early detection in Gaza. Chemotherapy, hormonal and targeted therapies were also unavailable or critically scarce, while radiotherapy was completely unavailable.

The ministry said surgery for advanced tumours had also been halted because of a lack of specialised medical capabilities.

The shortage of diagnostic equipment adds another obstacle for women who suspect they may have cancer.

Dr Iman al-Haj Ahmad, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at Hikmat al-Jamei Health Centre in Deir el-Balah, understands these barriers both as a doctor helping women seek diagnosis and as a breast cancer patient herself, having been diagnosed in May 2025.

“I had to search until I found a place where I could get a mammogram,” al-Haj Ahmad said. “I kept thinking about ordinary women who don’t have the medical knowledge or connections that I have. If it was this difficult for me, how much harder must it be for them?”

Before the war, women could seek an initial examination at a primary healthcare centre and be referred to hospitals for mammography, ultrasound scans, and further tests.

Now, al-Haj Ahmad said, imaging services are limited, some cancer specialists have left Gaza, and tests needed to confirm a diagnosis are not always available through public health services. Some patients have to pay privately.

Al-Haj Ahmad waited about a month for surgery, eventually undergoing the operation at Nasser Hospital with a visiting Jordanian medical team while the hospital was operating under dangerous conditions.

Chemotherapy and severe food shortages later took a heavy toll on al-Haj Ahmad’s health. She said she lost about 20kg (44lb), her immune system weakened significantly, and doctors had to pause chemotherapy temporarily.

Al-Haj Ahmad is now receiving hormonal treatment while waiting to travel abroad for radiotherapy. Her referral for treatment abroad had been pending since September 2025.

Despite her own illness, she continues to examine women and refer suspected cases to the surgery department at Al-Aqsa Hospital. She also encourages women with a family history of breast cancer to be especially attentive to changes in their breasts.

“Early detection is especially important in Gaza because treatment options are so limited,” she said.

Patients and their loved ones attend a breast cancer awareness event organised by Gaza’s Ministry of Health as part of ‘Pink October’ or Breast Cancer Awareness Month [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]

It has been a year since the “ceasefire” began in Gaza, although Israeli attacks continue, bringing the death toll from the war up to more than 74,400 Palestinians.

October is the global Breast Cancer Awareness Month – also known as Pink October. Health workers in Gaza are participating in the international initiative, with staff at Hekr al-Jameh Health Centre in Deir el-Balah trying to reach women through healthcare visits and targeted awareness sessions.

It’s part of a Pink October campaign they’ve called “pink blooms from among the rubble”, which teaches women about breast cancer, demonstrates breast self-examination, and offers psychological support to those affected by the disease.

Sabreen al-Buhaisi, who supervises Hekr al-Jameh’s primary healthcare services, said the centre had screened between 700 and 800 women during the campaign. Seven or eight cases were referred to hospital surgical departments for further assessment.

But identifying women who may have cancer is only the first step. Al-Buhaisi said free mammography was available at a limited number of hospitals, where women face long waits for appointments. Private screening is too expensive for many families.

“The financial cost is very high for women. Our people cannot afford these expenses,” she said.

Still, al-Buhaisi urged women to continue examining their breasts despite the difficult circumstances the vast majority live in.

“Even displacement and living in the camps should not stop you from examining yourself,” she said. “Take five minutes of your time. It can make a big difference in your treatment journey.”

Despite having a medical referral, Hiba Musbah is still waiting to leave Gaza for treatment and hoping to recover so she can devote more time to caring for her three children again [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]

Amid these hardships, Musbah continues her fight against time.

She says she has repeatedly followed up on the travel arrangements, but remains unable to leave, with no clear explanation for the delay.

The evacuation process is coordinated between the World Health Organization and Gaza’s Ministry of Health, but they have to then submit patients’ files to Israel for security screening and approval.

“I have been waiting for two years,” Musbah said. “And I still haven’t travelled.”

加沙的乳腺癌患者面临诊断延迟、药品短缺以及扫描和治疗机会有限等问题，导致许多患者担心自己的病情正在恶化。

36岁的希巴·穆斯巴自2024年以来一直在加沙与乳腺癌作斗争，面临着治疗延误和药品短缺的问题。[阿卜杜勒哈基姆·阿布·里亚什/半岛电视台]

加沙地带代尔巴拉赫——希巴·穆斯巴赫已经接受了七轮化疗，以对抗困扰她的乳腺癌。下周将是第八轮化疗。

但这位来自加沙东部代尔巴拉赫的36岁三孩母亲表示，在等待前往加沙以外地区接受进一步治疗期间，她的病情持续恶化。

以色列在加沙发动的三起袭击事件中，第一起造成四人死亡，其中包括一名年轻女孩。

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“我再也无法像以前那样照顾我的孩子了。现在都是儿子帮我，”她告诉半岛电视台。她的丈夫莫塔兹患有心脏病，随着她健康状况的恶化，他不得不承担起更多责任，照顾他们的三个孩子——13岁的穆罕默德、10岁的贾贝尔和8岁的艾哈迈德。

穆斯巴于2024年1月首次注意到右侧乳房周围出现肿块，当时距离以色列对加沙发动种族灭绝战争仅几个月。由于她流离失所，且战争愈演愈烈，她最初并未在意。最终，她的母亲坚持让她就医。

医生确诊为癌症，但尽管需要紧急手术，穆斯巴赫却花了两个月才接受手术，延误的原因是以色列军队袭击了她接受治疗的汗尤尼斯纳赛尔医院附近地区。

“当时情况很艰难，又是炮火轰炸又是坦克进攻，”她说。“因为战争，我推迟了行动。上次我差点被坦克炮火炸死，所以我才推迟了行动。”

她的化疗最初也被推迟了七个月，因为纳赛尔医院没有所需的药物。

穆斯巴的经历反映了加沙数百名乳腺癌女性面临的现实，以色列的战争和封锁严重削弱了当地卫生系统诊断和治疗这种疾病的能力。

药品和医疗设备短缺、诊断设备损坏、缺乏放射治疗以及难以离开加沙地带接受专科治疗，使得在加沙日益加深的健康和人道主义危机中，抗击癌症变成了另一场斗争。

乳腺癌患者希巴·穆斯巴 (Hiba Musbah) 三个月来一直无法进行计算机断层扫描 (CT)，因为她的病情恶化，治疗选择仍然有限。[Abdelhakim Abu Riash/半岛电视台]

手术、化疗以及等待的费用

缺乏诊断设备如今成了穆斯巴赫的又一焦虑来源。她解释说，她需要做一次新的计算机断层扫描（CT）来评估病情进展，但由于公立医院没有这种设备，她一直无法进行扫描。

她说，一家私立医院有扫描仪，但检查费用大约150谢克尔（约合48美元），她负担不起。而且预约等待时间可能超过三个月。

“我现在背部和腿部疼痛，而且因为设备故障，我已经三个月没做扫描了，”她说。“我的医生告诉我，他担心这种疾病可能已经扩散到我身体的其他部位，但我仍然不知道。”

穆斯巴现在行走困难，一只胳膊也活动受限，肩膀、腿和眼睛都感到疼痛，治疗期间头发和指甲也受到了损伤。

“如果我早些接受治疗，事情就不会发展到今天这个地步。因为治疗延误，我的病情变得更加严重，”她说。“癌症患者也需要营养丰富的食物、水果、肉类和新鲜蔬果，但我们负担不起所有必需品。”

据穆斯巴赫称，她已等待近两年，希望能在获得医疗转诊后离开加沙接受治疗。但控制加沙所有出入口的以色列尚未批准她出境。

“我想去旅行，接受治疗，康复，”穆斯巴赫说。“我想恢复健康，回到以前的状态。”

伊曼·哈吉·艾哈迈德医生被诊断出患有乳腺癌，她在等待治疗期间帮助加沙妇女获得筛查和支持。[阿卜杜勒哈基姆·阿布·里亚什/半岛电视台]

据加沙卫生部称，战前加沙地带每年约有 360 例新增乳腺癌病例，而 2024 年为 250 例，2025 年约为 260 例。

卫生部警告称，这些数字可能无法反映真实的病例数，因为筛查和早期诊断服务已基本崩溃，可能导致数百名患者未得到诊断。

该部10月1日发表声明称，加沙地带乳腺X光机反复故障和实验室耗材短缺严重限制了早期筛查。化疗、激素疗法和靶向疗法也均无法获得或极度匮乏，而放射疗法则完全无法开展。

该部表示，由于缺乏专业医疗能力，晚期肿瘤的手术也已停止。

诊断设备的短缺给怀疑自己可能患有癌症的女性带来了又一个障碍。

伊曼·哈吉·艾哈迈德医生是代尔巴拉赫希克马特·贾梅健康中心的妇产科医生，她既是一位帮助女性寻求诊断的医生，也是一位乳腺癌患者（她于 2025 年 5 月被诊断出患有乳腺癌），因此她了解这些障碍。

“我四处寻找，才找到可以做乳房X光检查的地方，”哈吉·艾哈迈德说。“我一直在想那些没有我这样的医学知识和人脉的普通女性。如果这对我来说都这么难，那对她们来说该有多难啊？”

战前，女性可以在基层医疗中心进行初步检查，然后转诊到医院进行乳房X光检查、超声波扫描和进一步检查。

哈吉·艾哈迈德说，现在影像服务有限，一些癌症专家已经离开加沙，确诊所需的检查也并非总能通过公共医疗服务获得。一些患者不得不自费就医。

哈吉·艾哈迈德等了大约一个月才等到手术，最终在纳赛尔医院接受了手术，当时医院的运营条件十分危险，而手术是由一支来访的约旦医疗队协助完成的。

化疗和严重的食物短缺后来对哈吉·艾哈迈德的健康造成了沉重打击。她说她瘦了大约20公斤（44磅），免疫系统明显减弱，医生不得不暂时中止化疗。

阿尔-哈吉·艾哈迈德目前正在接受激素治疗，同时等待出国接受放射治疗。她的出国治疗转诊申请自2025年9月以来一直处于待定状态。

尽管她自己也身患疾病，但她仍然坚持为女性进行检查，并将疑似病例转诊至阿克萨医院的外科。她还鼓励有乳腺癌家族史的女性格外注意乳房的变化。

“在加沙，早期发现尤为重要，因为治疗选择非常有限，”她说。

患者及其亲属参加了由加沙卫生部组织的乳腺癌宣传活动，该活动是“粉红十月”（乳腺癌宣传月）的一部分。[Abdelhakim Abu Riash/半岛电视台]

加沙“停火”已经持续一年了，但以色列的袭击仍在继续，导致战争造成的巴勒斯坦人死亡人数超过 74400 人。

十月是全球乳腺癌防治宣传月，也被称为“粉红十月”。加沙的医务人员正在参与这项国际倡议，代尔巴拉赫的赫克尔·贾梅健康中心的员工正努力通过医疗走访和有针对性的宣传活动来接触女性。

这是他们发起的“粉红十月”活动的一部分，该活动被称为“废墟中绽放的粉红花朵”，旨在向女性普及乳​​腺癌知识，演示乳房自检方法，并为受乳腺癌影响的人提供心理支持。

负责Hekr al-Jameh初级医疗保健服务的Sabreen al-Buhaisi表示，该中心在活动期间筛查了700至800名女性。其中7至8例被转诊至医院外科进行进一步评估。

但识别出可能患有癌症的女性仅仅是第一步。阿尔-布海西表示，只有少数医院提供免费乳房X光检查，而且女性预约往往需要长时间等待。对于许多家庭来说，私人筛查费用过于昂贵。

“这对女性来说经济负担非常重。我们的人民负担不起这些开支，”她说。

尽管如此，布海西仍然敦促女性即使在大多数女性生活在困难的环境下，也要继续进行乳房自检。

“即使流离失所，住在难民营里，也不应该阻止你进行自我检查，”她说。“花五分钟时间，这可能会对你的治疗过程产生很大的影响。”

尽管希巴·穆斯巴赫已获得医疗转诊，但她仍在等待离开加沙接受治疗，并希望康复后能再次抽出更多时间照顾她的三个孩子。[阿卜杜勒哈基姆·阿布·里亚什/半岛电视台]

在这些艰难困苦之中，穆斯巴赫仍在与时间赛跑。

她说她已经多次跟进旅行安排，但仍然无法离开，而且对于延误的原因也没有明确的解释。

撤离过程由世界卫生组织和加沙卫生部协调，但他们随后必须将患者的档案提交给以色列进行安全审查和批准。

“我已经等了两年了，”穆斯巴赫说，“但我至今还没能出行。”