Death And Displacement Grind On In Gaza Months After Ceasefire

The ceasefire in Gaza may have silenced most of the bombs, but for millions of Palestinians, suffering has only slowed — not stopped.

For Najat Sayed al-Hessi, a 61-year-old cancer patient living in a tent in Deir al-Balah, the ceasefire has brought no relief at all. She has gone 27 months without receiving a single dose of her cancer medication, despite needing monthly treatment.

“Nothing has changed for cancer patients in Gaza since the ceasefire,” she said. “I am dying slowly.”

Al-Hessi was scheduled to travel to Ramallah for treatment on 7 October 2023 — the day the war began. Since then, Israeli restrictions have halted almost all medical referrals outside Gaza, while hospitals inside the enclave lack even basic cancer drugs, painkillers and diagnostic equipment.

Her case is far from unique. Gaza is home to around 11,000 cancer patients, with at least 3,500 holding referrals for treatment abroad that have gone nowhere due to closed borders. According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than half of essential medicines and two-thirds of medical supplies are unavailable, leaving doctors unable to offer meaningful care.

At the Gaza Cancer Centre, medical director Dr Muhammad Abunada says shortages have rendered most treatments ineffective. Cancer death rates have doubled or tripled, he said — from one patient per day before the war to two or three now.

The crisis extends far beyond cancer. UNICEF reports that newborn deaths surged by 75 percent during the final months of the war, and killings have continued even after the ceasefire. Since 10 October, at least 449 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,200 wounded, with UNICEF calling the past three months a “ceasefire that kills children.”

Displacement remains widespread. Around 1.5 million Palestinians are still homeless, many sheltering in schools or torn tents as winter storms batter the Strip. At least 31 people, including 19 children, have died from cold-related causes.

Meanwhile, Israel’s expanding “Yellow Line” — a unilateral no-go zone — now covers around 60 percent of Gaza, blocking residents from returning home and fueling fears of a permanent territorial division.

Aid remains restricted, reconstruction materials are blocked, NGOs face new barriers, and Gaza’s food self-sufficiency has been deliberately dismantled. With farmland destroyed and fishing crippled, residents say dependence is being enforced by design.

“We are living under the same threats,” one father said. “Only with less noise.”

Key Takeaways

• Ceasefire without relief: Bombing has eased, but death, disease and displacement continue.

• Medical collapse: Cancer patients are dying as medicines and referrals remain blocked.

• Gaza still shrinking: Expanding no-go zones and aid restrictions point to long-term containment, not recovery.

SOURCE: MIDDLE EAST EYE

Good work, IDF. History will remember you as Righteous Among Nations. /s

Have Palestinians learnt their lesson yet ?

7 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

Have Palestinians learnt their lesson yet ?

Not sure the 30K or so dead kids learned any lesson.

Not sure what evil lurks in your heart, but it's ugly.

2 minutes ago, Wingate said:

Not sure the 30K or so dead kids learned any lesson.

Not sure what evil lurks in your heart, but it's ugly.

That's just Palestinian propaganda .

It been shown to be untrue .

Hamas have been destroyed in the process .

Palestinians would make you believe that it was just woman children and journalists who get got killed