DaysofPal – The spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, has warned that more than 18,500 sick and wounded people in the Gaza Strip, including nearly 4,000 children, urgently require medical evacuation for treatment outside the territory. The appeal comes in the context of the near-total collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system and ongoing restrictions on patient movement.
Dujarric said that tight controls at border crossings, combined with extremely slow medical coordination procedures, are placing thousands of lives in immediate danger. Many patients face rapid deterioration due to the lack of adequate medical capabilities inside Gaza.
He explained that the list of urgent evacuation cases includes people injured in bombardments and military operations, cancer patients whose treatment protocols have been interrupted, individuals suffering from kidney failure, and patients with complex congenital or trauma-related conditions that cannot be treated locally because of severe shortages of equipment and medical supplies.
Hospitals that remain operational are functioning far beyond their capacity. They are grappling with critical shortages of medicine and fuel, which have intensified risks in intensive care units and neonatal wards.
Dujarric called for the acceleration of medical evacuation procedures and the establishment of safe corridors for critical cases. He stressed that patients must be guaranteed their right to access life-saving treatment.
For its part, the National Committee for the Transfer of Gaza’s Patients and Wounded urged the World Health Organization to intervene immediately and establish a clear and binding mechanism to ensure that patients and the injured can travel without delay.
The committee warned that the continuation of complex and restrictive procedures amounts to a “slow death sentence” for thousands of cases.
The Rafah crossing remains the only land gateway for more than two million Palestinians in Gaza to the outside world. It serves as a vital lifeline for patients and students and for the entry of medical supplies, food, and fuel. Restrictions imposed on the crossing have deepened the humanitarian and health crisis in the territory.
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