Middle East Press On: Media War, Gaza, Treaty, Palestinian State: New Age Islam's Selection, 14 November 2025
By New Age Islam Edit Desk
14 November 2025
The Final Reckoning: Israel’s Last-Ditch Battle To Win The Media War
Defence Guarantees Must Be Enshrined In Treaty As Riyadh Ties Deal To Palestinian State
Trump’s Call For Netanyahu’s Pardon Crosses A Line In Israeli Sovereignty
The Entire World Is A Showcase For Israel’s Military Might, Not Just Defence Exhibitions
Is The CMCC Covering For Israel? Gaza ‘Ceasefire Monitor’ Fuels Fears Of A Hidden Agenda
My Father’s Cancer Battle In Gaza: When Survival Depends On Crossing A Closed Gate
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The Final Reckoning: Israel’s Last-Ditch Battle to Win the Media War
By Ramzy Baroud
November 13, 2025
Israel’s allies worldwide are desperately scrambling to help Tel Aviv re-establish a convincing narrative, not only concerning the Gaza genocide, but the entire legacy of Israeli colonialism in Palestine and the Middle East.
The perfect little story, built on myths and outright fabrications — that of a small nation fighting for survival amid ‘hordes of Arabs and Muslims’ — is rapidly collapsing. It was a lie from the start, but the Gaza genocide has made it utterly indefensible.
The harrowing details of the Israeli genocide in Gaza were more than enough for people globally to fundamentally question the Zionist narrative, particularly the racist Western trope of the ‘villa in the Jungle’ used by Israel to describe its existence among the colonized population.
Not only have people across the globe, but even Americans have decisively turned against Israel. What began as an alarming trend — from the Israeli viewpoint, of course — is now the irrefutable new reality. National polls indicate that support for Palestinians among US adults has risen, with 33 % now saying they sympathize more with the Palestinians — the highest reading so far and an increase of six percentage points from last year.
Even the once unshakeable pro-Israeli majority among Republicans is softening in favor of Palestinians, with 35% of Republicans favoring an independent Palestinian state, a significant increase from 27% in 2024, demonstrating a clear shift in a segment of the Republican base.
The Israeli government is now fighting with every resource at its disposal to dominate the information war. It is focused on injecting calculated Israeli falsehoods into the discourse and aggressively blocking the Palestinian viewpoint.
Latest reports of an Israeli campaign to win social media by granting millions of dollars to TikTok and other social media influencers is only a fraction of a massive, coordinated campaign.
The war is multifrontal. On November 4, news reports revealed that Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales personally intervened to block editing access to the page dedicated to the Gaza Genocide. He claimed that the page fails to meet the company’s “high standards” and “needs immediate attention.” According to Wales, that specific page requires a “neutral approach” — meaning, in practice, that blatant censorship is required to prevent the genocide from being accurately described as the “ongoing intentional and systematic destruction of the Palestinian people.”
Israel has long been obsessed with controlling the narrative on Wikipedia, a strategy predating the current Gaza genocide. Reports dating back to 2010 confirm that Israeli groups established specific training courses in ‘Zionist editing’ for Wikipedia editors, with the explicit goal of injecting state-aligned content and shaping key historical and political entries.
The censorship campaign against Palestinians and pro-Palestinian voices is as old as the media itself. From the very start, mainstream media in the West has been structurally aligned with corporate agendas that are naturally allied with money and power; thus, the prominence of the Israeli view and the near-complete erasure of the Palestinian perspective.
Years ago, however, Israel began realizing the existential danger of digital media, particularly the open spaces in social media that allowed ordinary individuals to become independent content creators. The censorship, however, took an ugly and pervasive turn during the genocide, where even the use of words like ‘Gaza’, ‘Palestine’, let alone ‘genocide’, would result in shadowbanning or outright closure of accounts.
In fact, very recently, YouTube, which was previously known for being less severe in censoring pro-Palestinian voices than META, shut down the accounts of three major Palestinian human rights organizations (Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights), erasing more than 700 videos of crucial footage documenting Israeli violations of international law.
Sadly, though not surprisingly, not a single mainstream social media platform is innocent of censoring any criticism of Israel. Thus, it becomes a daily practice that references to Palestine, the Gaza genocide, and the like must be written in coded language, where, for example, the Palestinian flag would be replaced by an image of a watermelon.
Many pro-Palestine activists are now highlighting the direct complicity of Western media, especially in the UK, in attempting to whitewash the rape accusations against Israeli soldiers. Instead of using the unequivocal word ‘rape’, mainstream outlets refer to the horrific Sde Teiman episodes merely as ‘abuses’. While Israeli politicians and other war criminals are openly celebrating the so-called ‘abuses’ and the rapists as national heroes, mainstream British and French media are still refusing to accept that the widespread torture, rape, and mistreatment of Palestinians is part of a centralized, systemic agenda, not mere individual ‘abuses’.
Compare this to the wall-to-wall, sensationalized coverage of alleged ‘mass rape’ by Palestinians in southern Israel on October 7 — despite the fact that no independent investigation was ever conducted, and that the claims were made by the Israeli army without credible evidence.
This is not mere bias and hypocrisy, however, but direct complicity, as stated by the Gaza Tribunal’s final statement on October 26, 2025. “The Jury finds a range of non-state actors to be complicit in genocide,” the verdict read, including “biased media reporting in the west on Palestine and under-reporting of Israeli crimes”.
The final reckoning unfolds in the information warzone. The coming months and years mark the most critical fight for truth in the conflict’s history. Israel, relying on censorship, intimidation, and manufactured consent, will use every method to secure a victory. For Palestinians and all who champion justice, this battle for history is as consequential as the genocide itself. Israel must not be allowed to sanitize its image, because polishing genocide guarantees its repetition.
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/the-final-reckoning-israels-last-ditch-battle-to-win-the-media-war/
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Defence Guarantees Must Be Enshrined In Treaty As Riyadh Ties Deal To Palestinian State
By Majdi Halabi/The Media Line
November 14, 2025
Saudi Arabia and the United States are on the verge of signing a defense agreement that could redefine the strategic landscape of the Middle East. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s upcoming visit to Washington is expected to be pivotal, with both sides finalizing details to expand military and intelligence cooperation to new levels.
For more stories from The Media Line go to themedialine.org
The pact is projected to include advanced arms sales, such as F-35 fighter jets, state-of-the-art air defense systems, intelligence platforms, and a mutual defense commitment modeled on the US–Qatar agreement.
According to a source familiar with the negotiations in Riyadh, the Saudi side has insisted that any defense guarantees be enshrined in a formal treaty approved by the US Senate, ensuring protection against policy shifts in Washington.
Saudi officials have made clear that normalization with Israel remains strictly conditional on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
As a senior Saudi official in the Royal Court explained, Riyadh refuses to be seen as a junior partner in the Abraham Accords and will not proceed with normalization absent irreversible steps toward Palestinian statehood. Negotiators have also rejected symbolic gestures toward Israel, emphasizing that diplomatic progress depends entirely on tangible advancements on the Palestinian issue.
The defense pact is expected to generate major investments in both countries and further cement Saudi Arabia’s role as a central partner in regional security and economic growth.
A well-informed source in Riyadh noted that the agreement will accelerate the transfer of critical defense technologies and fast-track procurement of advanced American weapons, supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals. The pact is framed as a strategic necessity, given concerns over the durability of US commitments and the volatility of regional threats, especially from Iran’s proxies and other unconventional warfare tactics.
Saudi Arabia monitors precedent-setting defense arrangement with Pakistan
According to a Saudi official, the kingdom is closely monitoring its recent mutual defense arrangement with Pakistan, which has set a precedent for extended deterrence and collective security in the region.
This model is shaping Saudi expectations for the US pact, particularly regarding response mechanisms to external threats. In addition, a source in the Saudi Defense Ministry said the agreement will prioritize the localization of military production, aiming to raise domestic defense manufacturing to 25% by 2030.
On the American side, Washington seeks to leverage the pact to limit Saudi Arabia’s strategic engagements with China and Russia, maintain US primacy in the Gulf, and counter Iranian influence in the air and maritime domains. US officials are also pressing for Saudi normalization with Israel as part of a broader regional security architecture, though Saudi policymakers remain steadfast in their conditions.
Despite the potential for deeper cooperation, Saudi Arabia remains wary of US disengagement and shifting politics in Washington. According to a source close to the Saudi leadership, Riyadh doubts whether the United States can fully deliver on its defense commitments in the Gulf, given the complex threats posed by non-state actors and the region’s volatility.
The kingdom’s position is clear: normalization with Israel will be considered only after the realization of Palestinian statehood, and any defense agreement must provide robust, long-term guarantees.
If finalized, this pact would not only reshape the regional power structure but also reinforce Saudi Arabia’s strategic autonomy and its insistence on Palestinian self-determination as a prerequisite for any diplomatic breakthrough with Israel. As a well-placed source in Riyadh summarized, the agreement is designed to secure Saudi interests while maintaining principled positions on regional issues, signaling a new era in Middle Eastern security and diplomacy.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-873841
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Trump’s Call For Netanyahu’s Pardon Crosses A Line In Israeli Sovereignty
By Jpost Editorial
November 14, 2025
To caveat this piece, US President Donald Trump remains one of the strongest supporters of Israel ever to have occupied the Oval Office. His record speaks for itself: recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, brokering the Abraham Accords, and, of course, helping to secure the release of the remaining hostages who were held in Gaza.
Israel owes him gratitude. But friendship, even the deepest kind, does not entitle interference in another country’s domestic affairs.
Trump’s letter to President Isaac Herzog this week, formally requesting a presidential pardon for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, crosses a line that should not be crossed.
In what appears to be an unprecedented step in modern American diplomacy, a US president has directly urged a foreign head of state to grant clemency to that country’s own leader.
The letter’s tone, urging Herzog to “fully pardon Benjamin Netanyahu… and end that lawfare once and for all,” mirrors opinions that Trump has expressed before. He described Netanyahu as a “decisive wartime leader” and argued that the ongoing trial “unnecessarily diverts his attention” from leading Israel through existential challenges.
While the words may resonate with those who see Netanyahu as the indispensable man to lead Israel, they nonetheless suggest an intrusion into Israel’s legal process.
A pardon is not currently on the table
The President’s Residence has already clarified that a pardon cannot currently be issued. Under Israeli law, such a decision can only be made before proceedings begin or after a verdict is delivered, neither of which applies today.
Moreover, pardons are initiated by a defendant’s request and typically follow an admission of guilt and expression of remorse. In Netanyahu’s case, he continues to plead not guilty to charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. The trial, now in its fifth year, remains in the cross-examination stage.
The prime minister himself told Australian podcast host Erin Molan that he was not sure whether he would accept a pardon if Herzog offered one.
It is not for the US president, or any foreign leader, to call for the termination of this judicial process. Israel’s justice system, like America’s, is independent. Due process, for all its flaws, is absolutely fundamental to the democratic character of the state, regardless of whether one agrees with it, as took place during the months of protests against the judicial reform before the October 7 massacre.
There are, of course, precedents for international clemency efforts, but only in reverse. Foreign governments have occasionally appealed to the White House to grant pardons to individuals convicted under US law, such as in the case of financier Marc Rich, whose 2001 pardon by president Bill Clinton followed lobbying by foreign officials and was widely criticized at the time.
Nevertheless, The Jerusalem Post could uncover no known instances of an American president formally asking another nation to pardon one of its citizens. That makes this a unique case.
Trump’s defenders will argue that his letter comes from genuine friendship and concern for Israel’s stability. Indeed, he links his appeal to Israel’s need for unity after war and the ongoing hostage crisis.
His letter also reflects the views of some in Netanyahu’s coalition who argue that the trial has become a political distraction, preventing the government from functioning effectively. But friendship cannot override law. Nations must be bound by their institutions rather than personalities.
The comparison isn’t exact, but there is a long pattern of US presidents interfering in Israeli politics. Clinton has explicitly admitted that he tried to help prime minister Shimon Peres beat Likud leader Netanyahu in the 1996 election, which Netanyahu won. In a Channel 10 interview, he was asked if it would be fair to say he tried to help Peres win. “That would be fair to say,” Clinton answered. “I tried to do it in a way that didn’t overtly involve me.”
In 2015, the US State Department gave more than $300,000 to the nonprofit OneVoice Movement, whose US-funded infrastructure was later used by the V15 campaign to try to unseat Netanyahu as prime minister. A bipartisan Senate inquiry found no laws had been broken, but that the State Department failed to stop its grant from effectively aiding a campaign against Israel’s sitting leader.
That being said, Israel cannot afford to appear as though its judicial independence can be swayed by foreign appeals, however well-intentioned they may be.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-873828
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The Entire World Is A Showcase For Israel’s Military Might, Not Just Defence Exhibitions
by Ramona Wadi
November 13, 2025
France has reneged on its earlier decision to prevent eight Israel companies from participating in the Milipol Paris exhibition on security and defence, which will be held in November this year. According to Israeli media, France asserted that the reversed decision was “not the result of Israeli pressure.” Even though Israel had swiftly warned France of dire consequences in diplomatic relations as a result of the ban. The public is expected to believe that Israel, whose technology is sought globally, had nothing whatsoever to do with the reversal. Not even media reports in Israel are buying this narrative.
Israel said it was surprised by the ban, given the ceasefire in Gaza – a ceasefire that was violated multiple times and which is only serving to entrench military occupation in the enclave. A ceasefire, it seems, has the potential to absolve Israel of genocide. Hence, why would France object to a previously – also currently – genocidal entity participating in a defence expo during ceasefire time?
While France accommodates Israel’s weapons display, it also announced it will participate in a committee along with the Palestinian Authority to draw up a constitution for the State of Palestine. France has been at the helm of similar initiatives before, and is just one example of how Western countries support for Palestine is always still based upon Israel’s exigencies. Never mind that Israel has declared there will never be a Palestinian state. The fact is that the two-state paradigm in diplomatic jargon enables Israel’s colonial expansion.
Israel’s declaration which completely rejects a Palestinian state, would not exist without its military might. France is accommodating its presence in the fair. Countries around the world have become dependent upon Israeli defence technology; the same countries that voice support for, and some have also recognised, a hypothetical, symbolic Palestinian state.
At the Paris Airshow in June this year, France blocked out Israeli weapons with black partition walls, prompting Israeli officials to use the antisemitic card. The concealment, according to Israeli Aerospace Industries president and CEO Boaz Levy, was a reminder “of the dark days when Jews were segmented from European society.” The reason behind the move, however, was that the offensive weapons could have been used in Gaza.
And yet, France’s main contention during the genocide was humanitarian aid, thus exposing the hypocrisy of contention over an exhibition but not over Israel’s use of its military technology in Gaza. The same can be said of almost the entire international community, dependent as it is on Israeli surveillance systems.
Gaza keeps making the news, and has also become a catchphrase for diplomatic spats. Israel was purportedly shocked by the earlier decision to ban eight companies from participating since there is an announced ceasefire in Gaza, while France cited pro-Palestine protests as the reason why the companies should not be allowed to participate. Gaza’s exploitation is relentless, and when it comes to decision-making, Gaza is still swiftly marginalised to accommodate the Israeli security narrative – in this case represented by the military technology that spells violence.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20251113-the-entire-world-is-a-showcase-for-israels-military-might-not-just-defence-exhibitions/
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Is the CMCC Covering for Israel? Gaza ‘Ceasefire Monitor’ Fuels Fears of a Hidden Agenda
By Robert Inlakesh
November 13, 2025
As the United States pushes for an “International Stabilization Force” to be deployed to Gaza, little attention has been placed upon the Civilian-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) that was set up to monitor the ceasefire but is heavily slanted to protecting Israeli interests in the ceasefire agreement.
Nearly 250 Palestinians have been killed and 1,500 buildings destroyed since the beginning of the Gaza ceasefire. We are yet to move into the alleged “Phase 2” of the deal. On the question of aid entering the Gaza Strip, for the first few weeks the Israelis were only permitting an average of 90 trucks to enter the territory per day, despite agreeing to 400 during the first five days, after which at least 600 were said to have been allowed in daily.
Set up to monitor the ceasefire agreement was the CMCC, which at least 14 countries and dozens of international organizations jumped at the opportunity to join. Although it was expected to take well over a week to get up and running, the project was underway in only a matter of days, as more and more countries vowed to join.
Upon the ceasefire’s implementation, what was publicly announced was obtuse and made the vaguely worded 20-point plan presented by US President, Donald Trump, difficult to fully comprehend. As with the ceasefire agreement implemented in January, it was clear that the agreement was to be implemented in phases, with the first of these phases to include a full prisoner swap agreement and partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
As anticipated, more than a month later, phase two has yet to materialize as the situation remains in limbo, caught between both phase one and two – which has not yet been defined. On the Hamas side of the bargain, they committed to ending all hostilities and handing over all the remaining Israeli captives, dead and alive.
The Israelis, for their part, never ended their military operations behind what is now called the “Yellow Line”. This line that demarcates the de facto Hamas controlled territory from that of the occupation army, was supposed to constitute 53 percent of the Gaza Strip but, instead, has resulted in an Israeli takeover of up to 58 percent, as it has violated the agreement by operating much deeper into Palestinian territory than it had originally agreed to.
As outlined by both US and Israeli officials, the plan has been to create a “new Gaza” behind the Yellow Line, a territory which is run, for now, by Israel and four separate ISIS-linked militia groups. According to the logic of this project, the idea is to allow limited reconstruction in this area alone and for a so-called “International Stabilization Force” (ISF) to be sent into this zone.
The ISF, as per the admission of both US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, is to bring in a multi-national military coalition that will be tasked with disarming Hamas; in other words, it will represent a regime change invasion of the territory on Israel’s behalf.
Meanwhile, the Israelis have continued to bomb and shoot at civilians on a daily basis across the Gaza Strip, while blocking much of the desperately needed aid from entering the besieged coastal territory’s civilian population.
The CMCC Part of an Insidious Agenda
While aid organizations that work within the fold of the CMCC clearly do so in order to fulfill their missions of delivering supplies and carrying out their duties across the territory, the nations involved in the coordination center are a different question entirely.
So what is the CMCC? It is, in essence, a monitoring and coordination body that is based in Israel’s Kiryat Gat, north-east of Gaza and, according to Israeli media reports, is being led by the United States first and Israel second. Other nations that are working within its fold are also conducting actions on the ground, such as the Egyptians, who sent specialists and equipment to help search for the bodies of Israelis who are buried under the rubble created by Israeli airstrikes.
When the Israelis violate the ceasefire on a daily basis, the CMCC is supposed to be there to rein them in, yet it has completely failed to do this. None of these nations that form the CMCC has yet to make public protestations or withdraw due to Israel’s violations of the ceasefire, despite the fact that they are certainly aware of what is now transpiring.
On Tuesday, UNICEF spoke out against Israel for blocking one million syringes from entering the besieged territory and for not permitting sufficient aid into the territory, while noting that it has been able to carry out some of its duties.
Despite the fact that COGAT, the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) had not responded initially to Reuters as they wrote a story on the issue, their X [formerly Twitter] account claimed that the story is a lie. What did COGAT use as alleged proof of their rebuttal of UNICEF’s claims? They referred back to meetings where they were allegedly present alongside UNICEF at the CMCC.
This clearly spells out the problematic nature of the CMCC, which is operating inside Israeli territory, under Israeli supervision, and is evidently incapable of actually pressuring Tel Aviv to adhere to any of the key tenets of the ceasefire agreement. Even on the question of aid, the CMCC is now being weaponized by the Israelis to justify their blocking of humanitarian aid.
Then, the US, which is allegedly the leader of the CMCC, is openly lying about the amount of aid that is entering the Gaza Strip, despite having full knowledge of everything happening in Gaza.
White House spokesperson Dylan Johnson claims that an average of 674 aid trucks have entered Gaza every day since the ceasefire came into effect, yet the World Food Programme (WFP) states that only half of the required food aid under the ceasefire agreement has been permitted entry. According to Palestinian human rights groups, which are closely monitoring the situation, they say that close to one quarter of the total aid agreed upon under the ceasefire has been allowed into Gaza.
There have also been claims made by the US and Israel – which can easily be debunked – regarding alleged Hamas members looting aid trucks, something that has been systematically carried out by Israel’s ISIS-linked collaborator militias and criminal elements in the territory. Yet, the malignant presence of these gangs does not seem to be any kind of priority for either Washington or the CMCC.
When it comes to the future of humanitarian aid distribution in the Gaza Strip, a number of strategies have been floated by US and Israeli officials. These included a “Gaza Humanitarian Belt” that would set up over a dozen aid points right along the so-called ‘Yellow Line’ and another which would revive the defunct “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” program, primarily inside the Israeli controlled territory where civilians will be forced to enter – inevitably under fire – to receive aid.
So far, such proposals appear to fall in line with a variety of other strategies, all of which are designed to create two separate territories in Gaza. The idea behind this will be to coerce the civilian population along the coast, under Hamas governance, through violence and aid deprivation, to flee and enter the new zone. Simultaneously, the international invasion force would then fight the Palestinian armed groups on Israel’s behalf.
The key question to be answered here is whether the CMCC is simply a failure or if its formation was part of a broader plan that intends to lead towards more nefarious outcomes in Gaza. It is totally conceivable that many are working inside the fold of CMCC out of necessity to try and ensure the bare minimum humanitarian relief for the people of Gaza.
Yet, at the same time, when this center is involved in actively ensuring the implementation of the ceasefire, then there are responsibilities placed upon those who involve themselves in it. Anyone who has full knowledge of ceasefire violations must pursue every avenue available to ensure this does not continue. They have had over a month, and these ceasefire violations continue daily; civilians are still being murdered; the Israelis have violated the Yellow Line, continue to demolish civilian infrastructure, and block aid.
Every nation’s leadership that is involved should be held to account if they do not act to actually ensure the ceasefire is properly implemented. Then, if more nefarious conspiracies are actively being hatched, such as bringing in an invasion force and carving out a “new Gaza”, the focus should be placed upon the CMCC for presiding over this.
Again, it is reasonable to assume that many participants view their involvement as a net positive, in terms of pressuring the Israelis to allow in larger quantities of aid, for example, but then how many ceasefire violations are too many before further actions are taken?
It is clear that the ISF is not going to be modeled on the UNIFIL forces deployed to southern Lebanon, which are supposed to be there to enforce the ceasefire. They are being deployed, instead, to carry out military operations that explicitly favor only Israel. Even with UNIFIL in Lebanon, they have recorded 7,000 Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement implemented late last year, indicating that it is proving incapable of deterring aggression.
If Israel is illegally occupying territory inside of Gaza, Syria and Lebanon while committing daily ceasefire violations, the only natural conclusion to be drawn here is that tangible steps must be taken to punish the Israelis as a means of deterrence. Instead, we see the opposite: the Israelis are actively being rewarded by the CMCC member nations.
The only natural conclusion of this broken process, which refuses to hold Israel to account after committing a two-year genocide and attacks on countless neighboring nations, is that this will all explode into an even more deadly round of violence. Placing Lebanon and Gaza in such desperate positions, where Israel is never pressured to adhere to the ceasefire deals it signed, makes conflict inevitable.
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/is-the-cmcc-covering-for-israel-gaza-ceasefire-monitor-fuels-fears-of-a-hidden-agenda/
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My Father’s Cancer Battle in Gaza: When Survival Depends on Crossing a Closed Gate
By Shaimaa Eid
November 13, 2025
Normally, a journalist in Gaza tells the stories of others, relaying their pain, describing their suffering, and writing about their illnesses during and after the war. But this time, I find myself compelled to write about my own pain, about my father, who is battling bladder cancer in the midst of a war that has left patients without medicine and the living without full hope for survival.
The story began in May 2024. My father woke up one morning to find himself urinating heavily with blood. At the time, the war was at its peak; hospitals were overwhelmed with the wounded, and the sound of bombings filled the sky. We initially thought it was temporary and ignored it for two days, hoping it would pass as quickly as it came. But it was not a passing condition; it was the beginning of a long journey of pain.
Months later, the bleeding returned, this time more severe and dangerous. My father began experiencing sharp pain in his lower abdomen, so we decided to seek medical testing. After exhausting efforts – navigating long queues of patients and destroyed hospitals – we managed to get an ultrasound and then a CT scan, at our own expense, at Al-Hilal Hospital, after the Israeli military had destroyed both Al-Shifa and the European Hospital, the two main facilities equipped with such imaging devices.
The examination revealed a mass measuring 4×2.7×3 cm that had penetrated the bladder wall. After a biopsy was taken, doctors confirmed he had a rare high-grade adenocarcinoma.
According to doctors, adenocarcinoma of the bladder is a rare type of bladder cancer, accounting for only 1–2 percent of all cases. This tumor originates from the glandular cells lining the bladder’s urothelium and is known to be more aggressive than other types, such as the more common transitional cell carcinoma. It often appears at an advanced stage due to the difficulty of early detection, as its symptoms resemble those of other urinary conditions, such as cystitis or prostate enlargement. The most common symptoms include blood in the urine, pain in the lower abdomen or pelvis, frequent urination, or difficulty urinating.
In Gaza, a patient’s suffering does not end at diagnosis. The Israeli blockade has turned obtaining any medical supplies into a battle in itself. Doctors needed glycerin to perform the surgery to remove the part of the bladder affected by the tumor, so we began a search for it in a city exhausted by the siege. After many long days of worry and hope, we finally managed to secure it, and the surgery was successfully performed.
However, the recovery phase was harsher than the surgery itself. Protein-rich foods, clean water, and supplements needed to restore his immune system were unavailable. We tried to compensate with whatever was accessible, but his body was too weak to withstand the harsh conditions. After three months, the tumor returned. He underwent a catheter procedure to scrape the tumor, but it was not long before it came back again, larger and more aggressive.
During that period, the shelling of our neighborhood in Sheikh Radwan was relentless. My father inhaled large amounts of smoke from the bombing of nearby homes and, with the gas supply cut off, we resorted to burning wood to cook. All of this contributed to the deterioration of his health until the tumor grew to 6 cm in length, accompanied by swelling in the lymph nodes. The doctors began chemotherapy sessions and, later, recommended a complete bladder removal, a complex and risky surgery for a seventy-three-year-old man that requires urgent travel outside the Gaza Strip.
In addition, chemotherapy doses require special nutrition, including proteins, fortified foods, and supportive medications, all of which are nearly non-existent in Gaza. Israel allows only very limited quantities of food and medical supplies to enter.
With the crossings closed, my father, like thousands of cancer patients in the Gaza Strip, is still waiting for a permit to leave this siege in order to save his life.
Every day that passes with pain, I wonder: How many other patients silently endure the same suffering as my father? How many are just waiting for a “pass permit” to live?
In Gaza, people are not only defeated by bombing but are also drained by illness, by waiting, and by hope that slowly erodes behind a gate that has been closed for months.
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/my-fathers-cancer-battle-in-gaza-when-survival-depends-on-crossing-a-closed-gate/
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URl: https://www.newageislam.com/middle-east-press/media-war-gaza-treaty-palestinian-state/d/137630
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