DaysofPal— The number of patients in the Gaza Strip who have died while waiting for permission to travel abroad for medical care has reached 1280, local medical officials said, highlighting the worsening health emergency in the enclave.
Health authorities reported that the deceased had been approved for urgent treatment outside Gaza but were unable to leave after border crossings were shut and supplies of essential medicines dwindled.
Officials described the rising death toll as a stark sign of the mounting humanitarian strain on an already fragile healthcare system.
On Monday, a young man identified as Mohammed Dhabban died after his family repeatedly appealed for intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), a life-saving therapy unavailable in Gaza. Relatives said that even a single dose might have prevented his death.
Doctors say his case is emblematic of a wider crisis affecting patients, especially children, who cannot access specialized treatments or essential medications.
At Nasser Medical Complex, pediatrics chief Ahmed Al-Farra said that timely access to certain therapies could have saved numerous lives.
“The shortage of medicines deprived them of the chance to survive,” he said, noting that conditions for patients awaiting medical evacuation continue to worsen.
Medical teams across Gaza report daily fatalities in intensive care units, blaming delays in treatment, lack of equipment, and shortages of life-saving drugs.
Physicians warn that the situation has evolved from a public health crisis into a full humanitarian catastrophe.
According to Al-Farra, about 22000 wounded and ill people require advanced medical care, including roughly 5000 in critical condition who need specialized treatment unavailable within Gaza.
Health officials are calling on international agencies to secure urgent deliveries of medicines and establish safe medical corridors to evacuate critically ill patients.
They warn that without immediate action, preventable deaths, particularly among children, will continue to increase.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organization said more than 18,500 patients in Gaza need specialized care not available locally as the healthcare system struggles to function.
Medical authorities have also renewed demands to reopen the Rafah Crossing so patients can travel for treatment.
They say that while limited humanitarian departures are currently permitted, the numbers fall far short of the need.
Unless crossings are fully reopened and medical supplies allowed in at scale, officials warn, the number of deaths among patients awaiting treatment abroad is likely to continue rising.
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