Over 15,000 in Gaza need urgent medical evacuation abroad
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Gaza’s NGO Network warns more than 15,000 patients urgently need evacuation for treatment abroad as the Israeli blockade worsens the humanitarian crisis.
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Displaced Palestinians gather to collect water from a truck during a heat wave at a makeshift tent camp in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, August 13, 2025 (AP)
The Director of the Network of NGOs in Gaza, Amjad al-Shawa, has warned that more than 15,000 patients and wounded individuals in the besieged Palestinian territory are in urgent need of medical evacuation abroad to receive life-saving treatment.
Al-Shawa urged the international community to act immediately to save lives by facilitating the transfer of patients and sending field hospitals to Gaza. He stressed that the Strip faces a severe shortage of medical equipment and medicines, as the ongoing Israeli blockade continues to deepen the humanitarian crisis.
Backed and supported by the United States, the Israeli occupation has waged a devastating war on Gaza since October 7, 2023. The assault has included mass killings, starvation, widespread destruction, and the forced displacement of residents, in defiance of international positions and rulings by the International Court of Justice calling for an end to these violations.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the aggression has so far killed more than 61,776 Palestinians, injured over 154,906 others, and left more than 9,000 missing. The war has also displaced hundreds of thousands of people and triggered a severe food crisis, which has caused the deaths of many, including numerous children.
Humanitarian supplies to Gaza 'not happening yet'
On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged “Israel” to allow the stocking of medical supplies to confront Gaza’s “catastrophic” health conditions.
“We want to stock up, and we all hear about more humanitarian supplies are allowed in – well it’s not happening yet, or it’s happening at a way too low a pace,” said Rik Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in the Palestinian territories.
Peeperkorn reported that Gaza has run out of more than half its medicines, with the WHO facing “cumbersome procedures” and outright denial of some medical products by Israeli authorities.
The representative stated that only 50% of hospitals and 38% of primary healthcare centers are currently partially functioning, while bed occupancy is at 240% in Al-Shifa Hospital and 300% in Al-Ahli Hospital. “The overall health situation remains catastrophic. Hunger and malnutrition continue to ravage Gaza,” Peeperkorn added.
Gaza famine death toll hits 235
Meanwhile, the Israeli-made famine ravages through Gaza, killing 235, including 106 children, as the humanitarian situation reaches catastrophic levels.
Under the ongoing tightened blockade, complete closure of crossings, and the Israeli occupation’s ban on the entry of food and medicine, hospitals and health centers across Gaza are facing an unprecedented crisis. More than 2.4 million civilians, including over 1.2 million children, are enduring severe hunger and malnutrition.
According to official ministry data, the fatalities include 129 adults, among them 19 women, 75 elderly individuals, and 35 men over the age of 18.
The starvation crisis is not limited to patients; medical staff themselves report symptoms of malnourishment. Aid workers say they are witnessing people “wasting away” among their teams, threatening their ability to provide care.
