WHO reports over 1,000 patients died waiting for evacuation from Gaza since July 2024, with thousands more still needing urgent treatment abroad
GENEVA: More than 1,000 patients have died while waiting for urgent medical evacuation from Gaza in the last year and a half, the World Health Organization said.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated the UN agency and its partners have evacuated over 10,600 patients with severe health conditions since the war began over two years ago.
He warned that “many more patients remain in Gaza awaiting evacuation to receive appropriate health care”.
Citing Gaza’s health ministry, Tedros said 1,092 patients died awaiting evacuation between July 2024 and November 28, 2025.
“This figure is likely underreported,” he warned, calling for more countries to accept patients and for evacuations to the West Bank to be restored.
The WHO previously estimated over 16,500 patients still need treatment outside Gaza, a figure charities suggest could be three to four times higher.
Up to December 1, over 30 countries had taken patients, but only a handful like Egypt and the UAE accepted large numbers.
A US-sponsored ceasefire has halted fighting in Gaza, which began after Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023.
The deal, in effect since October 10, remains fragile as Israel and Hamas accuse each other almost daily of violations. – AFP
