GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The suffering of patients in the Gaza Strip extends beyond shortages of medicines and medical supplies and the declining ability of hospitals to provide treatment. For thousands, obtaining medical care outside the enclave has become an exhausting struggle amid repeated border crossing closures and severe restrictions on the number of patients allowed to leave.
The situation is particularly devastating for children in urgent need of specialized medical care, as waiting for medical evacuation approval becomes a race against time for those suffering from serious illnesses and injuries that cannot afford further delays.
The scale of the crisis was highlighted on Monday when only five patients, accompanied by five carers, were evacuated to Jordan through the Kerem Abu Salem crossing, although 75 children had been scheduled to travel for treatment, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The incident illustrates the widening gap between urgent medical needs and the limited number of patients actually permitted to leave the besieged enclave.
21,000 patients await evacuation, with children among the most vulnerable
Official figures reveal the severity of Gaza’s medical evacuation crisis. The Health Ministry reported that approximately 21,000 patients and wounded Palestinians are awaiting evacuation for treatment abroad as border crossings remain subject to repeated closures and severe restrictions.
Health data indicates that thousands of children require treatment outside Gaza because of serious injuries, chronic illnesses and medical conditions requiring specialized procedures unavailable in the enclave.
Delays in evacuation pose additional threats to their lives, particularly for children requiring emergency intervention or continuous medical care.
The obstacles extend beyond medical documentation and obtaining approvals. Patients also depend on the regular operation of border crossings, available evacuation slots and the ability of hospitals abroad to receive them and provide appropriate treatment.
Medical evacuation figures since the beginning of the genocidal war further illustrate the growing disparity between healthcare needs and available assistance.
Thousands of patients, including many children, have been evacuated abroad for treatment, while thousands more remain on waiting lists amid continued restrictions on patient movement and the collapse of specialized healthcare services inside Gaza.
Gaza’s collapsing healthcare system deepens patients’ suffering
The crisis continues to worsen as Gaza’s healthcare system deteriorates, with shortages of medicines and medical equipment and extensive damage to hospitals severely limiting medical teams’ ability to treat complex conditions.
Children requiring evacuation include those with severe injuries, cancer patients and children suffering from chronic illnesses or congenital conditions that require specialized medical interventions.
These patients face increasingly difficult circumstances as healthcare services remain severely limited and essential medicines and supplies are often unavailable.
The consequences of delayed evacuation extend beyond the risk of deteriorating health. Families endure immense psychological distress as they fear their children may lose their chance to receive life-saving treatment.
Their ability to access hospitals outside Gaza remains dependent on uncertain approvals, administrative procedures and travel schedules.
For children, the suffering is compounded by their need for age-appropriate medical care, while their families struggle to find alternative treatment options under the enclave’s devastating conditions.
Calls to open crossings and accelerate medical evacuations
Gaza’s Health Ministry warned that repeated closures of border crossings for several days at a time, during which no patients are allowed to leave, along with reductions in the number of approved departures, are worsening the suffering of thousands of patients and wounded Palestinians awaiting essential medical care.
The ministry called on international organizations and humanitarian and healthcare institutions to intervene urgently to ensure regular medical evacuations, end restrictions preventing patients from traveling and open crossings for those requiring treatment abroad.
It stressed that priority must be given to critical cases and children requiring urgent medical intervention.
The ministry also emphasized the need to guarantee patients’ right to timely healthcare, warning that thousands remain on waiting lists as the dangers associated with delayed treatment continue to grow.
Although 75 children had been scheduled for evacuation to Jordan, only five patients and five carers were able to leave, forcing the overwhelming majority to continue waiting for treatment.
For Gaza’s sick and wounded children, every additional delay carries potentially life-threatening consequences, underscoring the urgent humanitarian responsibility to facilitate medical evacuations before more lives are lost.
