Cancer patients from Gaza, including children, are in a state of uncertainty at a hospital in al-Quds after Israeli authorities threatened to return them, The Guardian reported.                                               

At Augusta Victoria Hospital, accessed by The Guardian, 22 patients from Gaza, in critical need of advanced cancer treatment, are apprehensive about potential deportation.

Despite previously receiving authorization to seek medical care outside Gaza, the Israeli Security Ministry body responsible for civilian affairs in occupied Palestinian territories, Cogat, has demanded a list of patients considered fit for discharge to be returned to Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli genocide in the Strip. 

Adult patients, including numerous elderly individuals, find themselves marooned in a hotel adjacent to the hospital, where they head for chemotherapy sessions, further exacerbating their already intense suffering. Originating from areas in Gaza reduced to rubble by "Israel", if these patients are returned, they face the peril of relocating to the North, where the risk of famine looms largest. United Nations reports indicate that less than one-third of hospitals in Gaza are operational.

Read Our latest report sheds light on the dire situation faced by cancer patients in besieged Gaza. Written by Shahd Safi, it unveils the heartbreaking struggles of individuals like Intisar, Enas' mother, and Ihsan, as they battle not just cancer, but also the blockade limiting… pic.twitter.com/0H2F5v2Vx8

— We Are Not Numbers (@WeAreNotNumbers) March 29, 2024

Last week, moments before Cogat intended to return approximately 10 patients to Gaza, the Israeli Supreme Court intervened, suspending the directive following an appeal by the non-profit organization Physicians for Human Rights. While a verdict from the court is pending, the precise timeline remains unclear. The Israeli government is required to present its argument by April 21.

Returning patients to Gaza is against international law

Physicians for Human Rights said in a statement, “Returning residents to Gaza during a military conflict and a humanitarian crisis is against international law and poses a deliberate risk to innocent lives. All the more so when it concerns patients who may face a death sentence due to insanitary conditions and hunger, along with the unlikely availability of medical care. The fact that the security officials refuse to convey such a directive in writing indicates that they themselves are aware that it is clearly illegal and are avoiding responsibility."

“The hospitals and the medical staff must strongly oppose the release of the patients from their custody unless a guarantee is given that they will not be returned to Gaza where their lives are in danger,” it added.

#Cancer_patients in Gaza have been left without care, including end-of-life care for >6 months. There is almost complete cessation of new cancers diagnoses including in children. #WorldCancerDay https://t.co/zuN1W4hTaV https://t.co/6dim0yAlBy

— Turajlic Lab @ The Crick (@TurajlicLab) March 28, 2024

The Israeli occupation's government claims that the patients instructed to return have completed their medical treatment and alleged that their return would be managed in collaboration with international organizations. 

It is noteworthy that the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, the sole facility providing cancer treatment in the Gaza Strip, ceased its operations on November 1 due to a shortage of fuel caused by the Israeli genocidal war and total blockade.

Amid the ongoing Israeli aggression against Gaza and the widespread forced displacement of its residents, the approximately 2,000 cancer patients in the territory are facing grave health challenges.

Gaza's healthcare infrastructure has been severely strained over the past 16 years due to the Israeli blockade. Today, the grim backdrop of death and destruction and the magnitude of suffering experienced by cancer patients due to the ongoing Israeli aggression is beyond description.

Amid this dire situation, family members of cancer patients find themselves compelled to watch them die due to medical shortages and lack of fuel, not to mention systematic damage. In the worst-case scenario, they could even be bombed while in their hospital beds. If, by some stroke of luck, the Israeli occupation decides to transfer the patients to al-Quds for treatment after destroying every hospital in Gaza, prepare for disappointment; they will be sent back to Gaza, as shown in the report.