More than 21,000 patients and wounded Palestinians are awaiting urgent medical evacuation, while only 209 were allowed to leave Gaza for treatment in October.

Thousands of sick and wounded Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are facing life-threatening consequences as Israeli occupation authorities continue to impose severe restrictions on medical evacuations, denying critically ill patients access to potentially lifesaving treatment outside the besieged territory.

Despite Gaza's deepening healthcare catastrophe and the growing number of patients requiring urgent medical attention, only a fraction of those in need have been permitted to travel abroad for treatment.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Wednesday evening that only 209 patients and wounded Palestinians were allowed to leave the territory for medical treatment during October 2026. Medical evacuations took place on just seven of the 17 days designated for departures.

The ministry warned that Israeli restrictions continue to prevent thousands of critically ill Palestinians from accessing essential medical care, stressing that the number of patients permitted to leave falls dramatically short of the territory's urgent humanitarian needs.

It described the repeated delays and obstacles imposed on medical evacuations as deliberate obstruction that places thousands of lives at serious risk.

Medical evacuations turned into a race against time

The Health Ministry said the irregular opening of border crossings and delays in issuing travel permits have transformed medical evacuation into a race against time for patients whose survival depends on receiving urgent treatment.

For Palestinians suffering from serious illnesses, including those requiring specialized medical procedures unavailable in Gaza, every additional delay can have potentially fatal consequences.

The ministry stressed that the limited number of medical evacuations cannot address the magnitude of Gaza's healthcare emergency, particularly as hospitals and medical facilities continue to struggle to meet the needs of thousands of patients.

It called on the international community to exert serious and sustained pressure on the Israeli occupation authorities to lift restrictions and ensure the permanent and regular opening of border crossings.

The ministry further emphasized that all sick and wounded Palestinians must be guaranteed safe, immediate and unrestricted access to medical treatment outside the Gaza Strip.

More than 21,000 patients await urgent medical treatment abroad

Figures released several days earlier by the Medical Referrals Committee at Gaza's Health Ministry revealed the staggering scale of the crisis.

According to the committee, only 3,056 patients and wounded Palestinians had managed to leave Gaza for medical treatment since February 2026.

Of these, 2,614 traveled through the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza, while another 442 were evacuated through the Kerem Abu Salem crossing in the southeastern part of the territory.

Meanwhile, approximately 21,468 patients and wounded Palestinians remain on waiting lists for urgent medical treatment abroad.

Among them, 6,430 have been identified as priority cases because of the severity of their medical conditions and their urgent need for specialized treatment.

The figures highlight the devastating gap between the number of Palestinians requiring lifesaving medical care and the extremely limited number allowed to leave the besieged enclave.

For thousands of Palestinian families, prolonged waiting means watching their loved ones endure serious illnesses and life-threatening injuries while access to potentially lifesaving treatment remains blocked.

Rafah crossing remains under Israeli restrictions

The Rafah border crossing was partially reopened in early February 2026 under Israeli-imposed conditions and security approval procedures.

The reopening came as part of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, which took effect in October 2025.

However, medical evacuations have remained severely restricted and irregular, with Israeli controls and administrative delays continuing to prevent thousands of patients from accessing treatment outside Gaza.

The Health Ministry warned that unless border crossings are opened regularly and medical evacuations are substantially expanded, thousands of critically ill Palestinians will remain exposed to preventable suffering and death.

With more than 21,000 patients and wounded Palestinians still awaiting evacuation, the mounting humanitarian crisis underscores the urgent need for immediate international intervention to ensure that medical access is no longer obstructed and that those fighting for their lives can receive the treatment they desperately need. (ILKHA)