Geneva: More than 1,000 patients have died in Gaza while waiting for urgent medical evacuation over the past year and a half, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, highlighting the deepening humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged enclave.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the deaths occurred as severely ill and injured patients were unable to leave Gaza for specialised treatment abroad amid ongoing conflict, access restrictions, and the collapse of much of the territory’s healthcare system.
In a post on X, Tedros said the UN health agency and its partners had managed to evacuate more than 10,600 patients from Gaza since the start of the war more than two years ago. Among them were over 5,600 children suffering from severe injuries, chronic illnesses, and life-threatening conditions.
“Thousands more are still waiting,” Tedros warned, stressing that delays in evacuation are costing lives. He renewed calls for faster approvals, safe passage, and expanded medical corridors to ensure patients can access care unavailable inside Gaza.
Hospitals across the territory have been operating under extreme pressure, with shortages of fuel, medicines, medical staff, and functioning equipment. Many facilities have been damaged or rendered inoperable by repeated hostilities, forcing doctors to treat complex injuries in severely limited conditions.
International aid agencies have repeatedly warned that patients requiring cancer treatment, dialysis, advanced surgeries, and trauma care face especially grave risks if they remain trapped inside Gaza. Children, pregnant women, and the elderly are among the most vulnerable.
The WHO has urged all parties to facilitate medical evacuations in line with international humanitarian law, emphasising that access to healthcare is a fundamental human right, even during war.
The agency said it continues to work with neighbouring countries, UN partners, and humanitarian organisations to expand evacuation capacity, but acknowledged that progress remains far below what is needed to meet urgent demand.
As the conflict drags on, health officials warn that the death toll linked to indirect causes – including lack of medical access – is likely to rise unless evacuation pathways are urgently scaled up.
