GAZA STRIP — The Israeli army bombed all hospitals in the Gaza Strip and destroyed the territory's only specialized oncological hospital during its military offensive. Cancer and chronic illness patients in Gaza are not receiving proper treatment due to the destruction of medical facilities.

Regular medical checkups could not be carried out during the war. Doctors said radiation therapy is not available anywhere in Gaza. An estimated 20,000 Palestinians in Gaza hold urgent medical evacuation referrals that have not been approved due to delays.

One patient, identified as Najat, was told by doctors that her cancer had likely been growing for nearly two years. Her full mastectomy has not yet been scheduled, and her medical referral for treatment abroad has not been approved.

Conditions across the territory have deteriorated over two and a half years of conflict. There is no running water, no electricity, and no normal access to food. Tents housing displaced residents do not protect them from heat, cold, disease, or pests.

A report documented 220 Palestinian women dying during childbirth in Gaza between January and June 2025. Maternal death rates during childbirth increased threefold during the period of the conflict. The famine in Gaza disproportionately affected pregnant and breastfeeding women, placing them and their children at risk of death and a range of health complications.

Approximately 70,000 children in Gaza suffered from malnutrition, and more than 150 mothers buried children who died of famine-related causes. Over the two and a half year period, more than 21,000 of those killed during the conflict were children.

More than 22,000 women in Gaza are widowed and are caring for their children without a spouse. Separately, 22,000 women have been killed in Gaza over the same period.