4 patients die after Gaza Strip’s only cancer hospital goes out of service

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Four patients died Thursday after the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, the only hospital for cancer patients in the Gaza Strip, went out of service.

“Four cancer patients lost their lives today as a result of the Turkish Friendship Hospital stopping and being completely out of service due to the crisis of running out of fuel,” the hospital's director, Subhi Skaik, told Anadolu.

"The deaths occurred due to the lack of necessary medical capabilities," he added.

He noted that all of the hospital’s patients were transferred to Dar Al Salam Hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.

On Wednesday, the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital stopped operating due to Israeli attacks and a fuel shortage.

“Gaza’s main cancer hospital ran out of fuel and was forced to stop its services, risking the lives of 70 cancer patients,” said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

This week, the Israeli army expanded its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since the Palestinian group Hamas launched a cross-border attack against Israel on Oct. 7.

Nearly 10,600 people have been killed in the conflict, including 9,061 Palestinians and more than 1,538 Israelis.

Besides the large number of casualties and displacement, basic supplies are running low for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents due to the Israeli siege.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat