Gaza’s health ministry says Israeli restrictions have resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 patients, with thousands more awaiting urgent treatment
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08 October, 2026
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Gaza’s healthcare crisis is exacerbated by Israel’s continued siege of the enclave [Getty]
More than 2,000 Palestinians have died while waiting to be evacuated from Gaza for medical treatment since the closure of the Rafah crossing in May 2024, the territory’s health ministry said on Wednesday, as Israel’s siege continues to prevent thousands of critically ill patients from accessing treatment abroad.
The ministry said 2,027 patients had died while awaiting evacuation, while approximately 21,000 others urgently require treatment outside the devastated Palestinian territory.
Among those still awaiting evacuation are 5,600 children, 2,800 patients requiring cancer treatment and 194 people whose conditions are considered immediately life-threatening.
Another 2,000 patients are classified as emergency cases, according to the ministry’s latest figures.
The numbers reflect the continuing humanitarian consequences of Israel’s continuing siege of the territory and the collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system, nearly a year after a so-called ceasefire, which was supposed to allow the entry of humanitarian aid, came into effect in October 2025.
The Rafah crossing, Gaza’s main gateway to Egypt, was closed in May 2024 following Israel’s military offensive in the southern city, severely restricting the movement of patients requiring specialised treatment unavailable inside the territory.
Although limited medical evacuations have taken place through alternative arrangements, the number of Palestinians requiring treatment abroad continues to vastly exceed the capacity of evacuation programmes.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) coordinates medical evacuations alongside Palestinian health authorities and other partners, with patients requiring referrals, security clearances and arrangements with receiving hospitals before they can leave Gaza.
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The ministry’s latest figures come as a new report by Israeli rights organisation Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) found that Gaza’s healthcare system has made only marginal progress towards recovery during the first year of the ceasefire.
According to the report, none of Gaza’s hospitals has returned to full operation, while the territory remains without a functioning MRI scanner.
The number of partially operational hospitals has increased from 14 to 20 since October 2025, but intensive care capacity rose by just one bed, from 103 to 104, according to figures covering the period up to July 2026.
The report also found that dialysis services had become less accessible, with the proportion of medical facilities providing them falling from 17 percent to 12 percent.
PHRI cited earlier Gaza Health Ministry figures showing that at least 1,570 patients, including 264 children and 505 cancer patients, died while awaiting evacuation between October 2023 and 2 July 2026.
The newer ministry figure of 2,027 deaths covers the period since the closure of Rafah in May 2024 and should not be added to the earlier total.
Israeli authorities continue to prohibit the transfer of Gaza patients to hospitals in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, despite legal challenges from human rights organisations.
In July, Israel’s Supreme Court declined to intervene in the policy at that stage, leaving medical evacuations dependent on arrangements with third countries.
Rights groups say that the restrictions prevent patients from accessing established Palestinian medical facilities capable of providing life-saving treatment.
The ministry said the continued delays were placing thousands more lives at risk, with Gaza’s damaged hospitals unable to provide many forms of specialist and emergency care.
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