DaysofPal- The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that over 1,000 patients in Gaza have died while waiting for medical evacuation since mid-2024, as tens of thousands remain in urgent need of treatment amid severe restrictions and a collapsing health system.
Rick Peeperkorn, the WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, said that at least 1,092 patients died in Gaza between July 2024 and November 28, 2025, while awaiting permission to leave the besieged enclave for medical care.
He warned that the actual number is likely higher due to underreporting.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Peeperkorn said around 18,500 patients, including 4,096 children, currently require urgent medical treatment and evacuation outside Gaza.
He cautioned that without immediate action, more patients will die or suffer preventable deterioration in their health.
One of the main obstacles to patient evacuation, he said, is Israeli refusal to allow the opening of a medical corridor to hospitals in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Peeperkorn called on more countries to open their doors to Gaza patients and urged the opening of all medical corridors. However, he emphasized that access to hospitals in Jerusalem and the West Bank remains the most practical and efficient solution.
“Unfortunately, Israel does not allow this,” he said.
The WHO, he added, is prepared to conduct daily medical evacuations through any available route. While hospitals in Jerusalem and the West Bank cannot absorb all cases, Peeperkorn said they could receive thousands of patients, and the organization has plans to expand their capacity.
Since the start of the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, a total of 10,645 patients, including 5,632 children, have been evacuated, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
During the same period, more than 1,000 patients died while waiting for evacuation.
Despite widespread destruction and repeated attacks on the healthcare system, Peeperkorn said limited medical services are still functioning in Gaza thanks to the “extraordinary efforts” of health workers operating under extreme conditions.
He warned that Gaza’s health sector is facing a severe shortage of medicines and medical supplies due to Israeli restrictions on entry, often justified by claims of “dual-use” concerns.
According to WHO data, only about 50 percent of hospitals in Gaza are partially functioning, while approximately 37,000 people in northern Gaza have no access to any hospital at all.
Critical shortages persist in equipment needed to treat heart disease, kidney failure, cancer, and orthopedic injuries. Nearly half of essential medicines are either unavailable or nearly depleted.
Peeperkorn added that Gaza has only one functioning CT scanner to serve a population of two million people, alongside acute shortages in diagnostic imaging, cancer treatment equipment, and cardiac catheterization services, underscoring a deepening humanitarian and medical catastrophe.
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