GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric warned that more than 18,500 patients and injured people in the Gaza Strip, including around 4,000 children, are still in urgent need of immediate medical evacuation to receive treatment outside the territory, amid the near-total collapse of the healthcare system and ongoing restrictions on patient movement.
He noted that restrictions on crossings, combined with severe delays in medical coordination procedures, are putting thousands of lives at risk. Many patients face rapid deterioration due to the lack of adequate medical capabilities in Gaza.
Dujarric explained that the list of urgent evacuation cases includes those injured in airstrikes and military operations; cancer patients whose treatment protocols have been disrupted; and individuals suffering from kidney failure and complex medical conditions that cannot be treated locally due to shortages of equipment and medical supplies.
He added that the remaining functioning hospitals are operating beyond capacity and are facing critical shortages of medicines and fuel, further worsening the health crisis, particularly in intensive care units and neonatal wards.
He called for accelerating medical evacuation procedures and opening safe corridors for critical cases to ensure patients’ right to treatment and to save lives.
