Gaza Herald – The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that only around 700 patients from Gaza have been able to leave the enclave for medical treatment abroad since the Rafah crossing was reopened.
In a statement issued on April 19, 2026, the organization described this number as “extremely low” compared to the scale of the ongoing health crisis in the Gaza Strip, where the medical system continues to collapse under sustained pressure.
According to the statement, more than 18,000 patients are currently on waiting lists for medical evacuation, facing serious and potentially life-threatening conditions due to the lack of medical resources, shortages of specialized medications, and the inability to perform complex surgeries inside the strip.
The Red Crescent warned that continued Israeli restrictions on patient travel and delays in medical evacuation procedures are worsening the humanitarian crisis, leaving thousands of patients at risk and without access to essential treatment.
The organization stressed that the deteriorating healthcare situation is placing increasing pressure on an already overwhelmed system, with limited capacity to respond to the growing number of critical cases.
