Over 1,000 patients have died awaiting evacuation from Gaza: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday that more than 1,000 patients in Gaza have died while awaiting medical evacuation since July 2024.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the scale of the crisis in a tweet:
"Since October 2023, @WHO and partners have evacuated over 10,600 patients from Gaza with severe health conditions, including over 5,600 children, each one in need of critical advanced treatment."

He added:
"Yet, many more patients remain in Gaza awaiting evacuation to receive appropriate health care. According to Ministry of Health, 1,092 patients have died while awaiting medical evacuation between July 2024 and November 28, 2025. However, this figure is likely underreported."

Evacuations and critical care

Since the outbreak of war in October 2023, WHO and its partners have helped evacuate thousands of patients with serious health conditions, including children requiring intensive care. Ghebreyesus emphasized the ongoing need for international support:
"WHO calls on more countries to open doors to patients from Gaza, and for medical evacuation to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to be restored. Lives depend on it."

Medical evacuations remain slow

Even after a fragile truce took effect on October 10 under U.S. pressure, medical evacuations continue at a slow pace, leaving thousands of patients at risk. Recent reports indicate that over 16,500 Gaza residents are still awaiting urgent medical evacuation.

Limited international response

Although more than 30 countries have received patients from Gaza, only a handful, including Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, have accepted significant numbers, according to Médecins Sans Frontières.