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

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.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Israeli attacks kill four as famine risk looms in Gazalist 2 of 3Carney, Erdogan launch ‘strong and resilient’ Canada-Turkiye partnershiplist 3 of 3Netanyahu promises Iran regime change: Can Israel topple Tehran government?end of list“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 m...