Gaza Herald – Mohammed Abu Afash, the director of medical relief in the Gaza Strip, announced on Tuesday that 2027 patients have died while waiting for treatment or medical evacuation outside the territory. He highlighted that more than 21 thousand patients currently require evacuation to access treatments unavailable locally.
Abu Afash warned of deteriorating health conditions due to continued border closures and restrictions on importing medicines and medical supplies. He noted that no patient has left through the Rafah crossing for over five days, causing critical cases among cancer, kidney failure, heart disease, and chronic illness patients to worsen with severe complications.
The Israeli authorities continue to impose restrictions on patient movement via the Rafah crossing, disrupting medical evacuations and preventing critical cases on approved travel lists from departing. The Gaza Ministry of Health had previously warned on October 8 that ongoing closure denies patients and wounded individuals their weekly designated departure windows despite completed coordination procedures.
Hospitals face shortages in diagnostic materials including laboratory services, imaging, and operating rooms alongside medication deficits. Abu Afash stated that operational health centers dropped from over 574 covering areas from Rafah to Beit Hanoun to just 227 currently functioning with limited capabilities.
He emphasized that declining services impact monitoring of pregnant women and children while reducing nutrition supplements and vaccinations. Abu Afash cautioned against long-term health consequences for children born during the war who suffer from malnutrition, weak immunity, and insufficient medical care.
This report was produced in the Gaza Herald newsroom.
