DaysofPal – More than 16,500 patients in the Gaza Strip who require specialized medical treatment remain trapped, as border closures and severe restrictions continue to block their evacuation, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations.
Despite the WHO’s efforts to facilitate transfers for the critically ill, the pace of medical evacuations has slowed to a near halt. Since the Rafah border crossing was seized and closed by Israel in May 2024, fewer than four patients have been able to leave Gaza daily. Medical organizations warn that hundreds have already died while waiting for permission to travel abroad for urgent care.
A recent UN situation update revealed that Egypt has received the highest number of Palestinian evacuees, 3,995, followed by the United Arab Emirates (1,450), Qatar (970), and Türkiye (437). In Europe, Italy has taken in the largest number of patients, providing treatment to 201 people.
Yet, the need remains immense. The UN estimates that at least 3,800 Palestinian children still require urgent medical evacuation. WHO data shows that since July 2024, 740 people on evacuation lists, including 137 children, have died while awaiting transfer.
On Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that the organization had managed to evacuate 41 critically ill patients and 145 companions from Gaza.
He emphasized, however, that around 15,000 more people remain in desperate need of evacuation. “We continue to urge all countries to show solidarity and open crossings to save lives,” Ghebreyesus said.
The humanitarian crisis comes in the wake of Israel’s two-year war on Gaza, which killed more than 68,000 Palestinians and wounded over 170,000, most of them women and children. The extensive bombardment destroyed nearly 90% of the territory’s civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and medical centers, leaving Gaza’s healthcare system on the brink of total collapse.
Thousands of sick and injured Palestinians must deal with the harsh reality of being cut off from life-saving care and stranded in a destroyed enclave where even survival has become a matter of chance due to the Rafah crossing’s continued closure and the overcrowding in hospitals.
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