Key facts
- Amina Abu al-Kas died waiting for medical evacuation from Gaza; her son received notification two weeks after her death.
- Gaza's health ministry reports 300 Palestinians have died waiting for medical evacuations since the October ceasefire.
- Approximately 15,000 individuals are still awaiting treatment abroad, according to the health ministry.
- The WHO states 1,977 people have left Gaza for medical treatment since the ceasefire began.
- Delays are attributed to security screenings by Israel, acceptance by host nations, and limited crossing days.
- Aid workers report critical shortages of medicines and equipment in Gaza, leading to preventable deaths.
Gaza patients are facing critical delays in obtaining medical evacuation for treatment abroad, leading to preventable deaths. Amina Abu al-Kas died from an aggressive infection on May 29, with her son Saber only receiving notification that her evacuation paperwork was ready two weeks after her passing. Doctors in Gaza stated they lacked the necessary medicines and therapies to treat her condition.
Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry reports that Amina is one of 300 Palestinians who have died while awaiting medical evacuation since the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began in October. The World Health Organization (WHO), which assists with patient transfers, uses these figures. Thousands more, estimated at 15,000 by the health ministry, are still waiting for treatment abroad for war-related injuries or other conditions like cancer.
The process for evacuation is complex, requiring patients to pass security clearances from Israel, the host nation, and any transit countries, in addition to being accepted by a host nation. Many recipient countries have specific requirements for the types of patients they can accommodate, and visa processes add further hurdles. The WHO representative for the occupied Palestinian territory noted that some countries only accept children or patients requiring shorter treatments.
Maher Shamia, acting undersecretary of Gaza's health ministry, stated in early June that the primary causes of delay were lengthy security screening by Israeli authorities and limitations on the number of departures. He indicated that Palestinians were only permitted to leave via the Rafah crossing with Egypt three days a week, and medical evacuations via the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel occurred only once a week.
Cogat, the Israeli defense ministry body overseeing civil affairs in Gaza, stated that departures are contingent on official requests from receiving countries and the completion of security screening. The body added that the "vast majority" of requests submitted by countries and organizations have been approved since the start of 2025. However, humanitarian officials anonymously claim that aid supplies remain restricted and that Israeli authorities often use anecdotal examples to obscure shortages of essential medicines and equipment.
Protests have taken place outside Gaza City's al-Shifa hospital, with families pleading for their loved ones. One father is seeking a corneal transplant for his son, while a woman whose cancer led to the removal of multiple organs expressed despair over the lack of treatment options in Gaza. A 14-year-old boy, Muath al-Dini, who lost a leg in an air strike and suffers from spinal cancer, is awaiting evacuation for both his leg condition and cancer treatment, having previously received care outside Gaza before the war closed that route.
Aid workers highlight that the ongoing lack of essential medicines and equipment in Gaza forces doctors to ration supplies or turn patients away from critical treatments like chemotherapy and dialysis. Pat Griffiths, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Jerusalem, stated that the long evacuation list indicates a lack of access to necessary care, which Israel, as the occupying power, is obligated to allow. Cogat countered that 17,000 tons of medicines and medical aid have entered Gaza since the ceasefire, including cancer medications and diagnostic equipment, and that Israel has approved every request for medicines submitted by international aid organizations.