Gaza conflict: More than 1,000 patients in Gaza have died while waiting for urgent medical evacuation since mid-2024, the World Health Organization said, warning the toll is likely higher than reported.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency and its partners have evacuated more than 10,600 patients from Gaza since the war began, including over 5,600 children. He said many more patients remain in Gaza and are still waiting to be transferred to facilities that can provide appropriate treatment.
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Citing figures provided by Gaza’s health authorities, Tedros said 1,092 patients were known to have died while awaiting evacuation between July 2024 and November 28, 2025. He said the figure was likely underreported and urged more countries to accept patients from Gaza. He also called for the resumption of medical evacuations to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva that around 18,500 patients still need care outside Gaza, including more than 4,000 children, and warned that many cases are too urgent to face long delays.
A Doctors Without Borders official said earlier this month that WHO’s numbers refer only to registered patients, and that the true number of people needing urgent evacuation could be several times higher.
The remarks come as a US-backed ceasefire has halted fighting in Gaza, though it remains fragile amid repeated accusations of violations by both sides.