Sanaa Bilbesi and Abla Abu Ajwa, who are both from Gaza, receive chemotherapy in the oncology ward at the Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem, Israel.
Aid fund from the US totaling hundreds of millions of dollars benefiting Palestinians were cut off last year before Washingtonto the West Bank and Gaza last month, moves critics say have had a devastating impact on healthcare programs, politicizing human health. These factors have resulted in many Gazan women getting diagnosed and treated too late, pushing up the mortality rate for breast cancer. Shanan had hoped to change that.
“They were half of the way there actually in designing a number of development projects, but also some urgent responses addressing the immediate needs of patients including women with breast cancer,” said Fikr Shalltoot, director of programmes in Gaza for the UK-based Medical Aid for Palestinians. “There was a big plan to build community awareness around breast cancer, to provide screening and follow-up.
“As a result of that review, we redirected to other high-priority projects” the more than $200 million in economic support funds that were originally slated to go to programs in the West Bank and Gaza, the official told BuzzFeed News.
Aid cuts were initially billed as a temporary measure early last year. But this month, Congress passed a law called the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act which aid groups say has cut off funding to them for the foreseeable future unless an amendment is passed carving out an exemption for humanitarian causes.
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