Gaza Death Toll Surges as Over 1,090 Die Awaiting Medical Evacuation

(MENAFN) More than a thousand critically ill patients in the Gaza Strip perished while waiting for medical transfers abroad during a 17-month period spanning July 2024 through late November 2025, a senior World Health Organization official disclosed Friday.

Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO's representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, presented the grim statistics to journalists at the United Nations headquarters in New York, drawing from data compiled by Gaza's health authorities.

Peeperkorn cautioned that the death toll of 1,092 individuals likely represents only a fraction of the true scale, "as it is based solely on reported deaths."

"WHO called on more countries to welcome patients from Gaza, and for medical evacuation to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to be restored," he said.

The WHO representative painted a dire picture of Gaza's collapsed healthcare infrastructure: just 18 of 36 hospitals remain partially operational, while only 43 percent of primary healthcare facilities continue providing limited services. Critical shortages plague the territory, particularly medications essential for cardiac care and other life-threatening conditions.

While Israeli approval rates for humanitarian supplies have shown marginal improvement, Peeperkorn emphasized the entry process remains "unnecessarily slow and complex."

Laboratory operations face particularly acute obstacles, with WHO struggling to import diagnostic reagents and vital equipment components. Many critical items face rejection at border crossings under dual-use classifications. Peeperkorn urged Israeli authorities to grant "a blanket approval" for medical supplies to enter Gaza "so urgent needs can be addressed."

The humanitarian crisis has intensified as Storm Byron recently battered the coastal enclave, compounding misery for displaced populations. Winter weather combined with deteriorating water and sanitation infrastructure threatens to trigger outbreaks of acute respiratory infections, hepatitis, and diarrheal diseases.

"Children, older people, and those with chronic illnesses remained at greatest risk," he said.

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