The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released stark figures underscoring the deepening medical catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, as the United Nations continues to urge the opening of all possible border crossings and corridors so Palestinians in need of treatment can get to functioning hospitals.
The UN also calls for the unimpeded entry of international emergency medical teams into Gaza. As of mid-November 2025, more than 900 patients have died while waiting for medical evacuation as a direct result of Israeli restrictions on issuing travel permits for treatment outside the enclave.
According to WHO, approximately 16,500 patients are still awaiting approval to leave Gaza, including 4,000 children in urgent need of life-saving care. The organisation warns that further delays are a death sentence. Hospitals in Gaza are operating at less than half their normal capacity due to severe shortages of fuel, medicines, and essential supplies.
Since May 2024, WHO has conducted 119 evacuation missions, transferring 8,000 patients for treatment abroad, among them 5,500 children. Yet thousands remain in peril due to Gaza’s collapsed healthcare system.
Those suffering from cancer and heart disease can no longer manage. After the Rafah crossing was shut in May 2024 (when Israel took control), transfers have slowed to a trickle. Since the previous ceasefire collapsed in March, less than four patients have been able to exit daily.
