The precarious humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to worsen, with numerous lives hanging in the balance. Even with a fragile ceasefire in place, approximately 15,000 patients, including critically ill children, are awaiting urgent medical evacuations. The World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted this dire need, emphasizing the critical state of Gaza’s hospitals after prolonged conflict.
Two ten-year-old boys currently in Nasser Hospital exemplify the critical condition of many. One, shot and paralyzed from the neck down by Israeli forces, and another suffering from a brain tumor, are among the many who desperately need specialized care unavailable within Gaza.
Amar Abu Said, one of the affected children, is paralyzed from the neck down after being hit by a stray bullet. His mother, Ola, shared the critical need for complex surgery, which is currently impossible to perform in Gaza’s devastated medical facilities. Similarly, Ahmed al-Jadd suffers from a brain tumor; his sister Shahd recounted his growing symptoms and the family’s desperate hope for medical evacuation.
The World Health Organization has successfully coordinated the first medical convoy out of Gaza since a ceasefire began, transporting 41 patients and their caregivers to Jordan. However, this is a small fraction of the estimated 15,000 individuals requiring urgent medical attention abroad.
Israel has cited security concerns for keeping crossing points closed, particularly after the Hamas-led attacks of October 2023. The WHO is advocating for increased evacuations, ideally through Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt, and is calling for the reopening of routes to hospitals in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, which were previously accessible to Gazan patients.
Dr. Fadi Atrash, CEO of Augusta Victoria Hospital, stressed the efficiency and ease with which Gazan patients could be treated in East Jerusalem, where established medical protocols and patient files exist. He stated that these hospitals could manage a significant number of daily treatments, including complex surgeries and chemotherapy, which are currently unavailable in Gaza.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reports a tragic toll, with at least 740 individuals, including nearly 140 children, having died while awaiting medical evacuation or treatment in the year leading up to August 2025. The ongoing inability to provide essential medical care has led to daily losses, as lamented by Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, director of pediatrics and maternity at Nasser Hospital.
The lack of essential medical resources and the ongoing delays in international facilitation are resulting in preventable deaths. Tragically, in the past week alone, three young lives were lost at Nasser Hospital: eight-year-old Saadi Abu Taha succumbed to intestinal cancer, while three-year-old Zain Tafesh and eight-year-old Luay Dweik died from hepatitis. Without swift international action and the necessary approvals for medical evacuations, many more Gazan children and adults face a similar fate.
