Only around 700 patients and wounded people have been able to leave Gaza for treatment abroad, the Palestine Red Crescent Society has warned, while more than 18,000 others remain on waiting lists for medical evacuation through the Rafah crossing.
Speaking to Voice of Palestine radio, the organisation’s spokesperson Raed Al-Nems said the current pace of evacuations is "very limited and does not match the growing scale of needs", cautioning that Gaza’s health crisis is rapidly worsening.
The warning comes as the enclave’s healthcare system continues to collapse after more than two years of Israel’s war on Gaza , which has left hospitals overwhelmed and critically short of supplies.
Under the 10 October ceasefire framework, Israel was expected to ease medical evacuations from Gaza, but aid groups say the current trickle of patients bears little resemblance to what was promised.
Al-Nems said thousands of severely ill and injured patients are at risk of death due to the lack of treatment, stressing: "We are dealing with lives at stake". He noted that some patients have already died while waiting for evacuation.
On Sunday, a funeral was held in Khan Younis for 45-year-old Muvaffak Kadiha, a colon cancer patient, who was unable to travel abroad to receive treatment due to the continued closure of border crossings.
Patients are selected based on the severity of their conditions, he explained, but delays linked to Israeli security approval procedures are prolonging their departure and worsening their health.
Separately, Mohammed Zaqout, director general of hospitals at Gaza ’s health ministry, told Qatar News Agency that ongoing Israeli restrictions at the Rafah crossing are limiting travel and slowing medical evacuations.
He warned that the restrictions pose "a direct threat to the lives of thousands of patients" and further deepen Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, urging the international community to meet its "legal and moral responsibilities".
Zaqout called for the permanent and unrestricted opening of the crossing to allow the free movement of patients and the wounded, and to accelerate the evacuation of critical cases.
Al-Nems also urged international intervention to ensure crossings remain open, stressing the need to "separate the medical file from any political or security considerations" and to establish safe and sustainable evacuation corridors.
Israel maintains control over Gaza ’s crossings, including Rafah on the Palestinian side in the south, significantly restricting movement. More than half of the enclave is considered under Israeli control, further limiting patients’ chances of accessing treatment abroad.
Since the partial reopening of Rafah on 19 March, following a roughly 20-day closure due to the US-Israeli war with Iran, returnees have reported detention and lengthy interrogations by Israeli authorities before being allowed to enter Gaza .
Before October 2023, hundreds of Palestinians would cross Rafah daily in both directions under arrangements between authorities in Gaza and Egypt.
Since then, Israel has tightened its blockade, severely restricting medical evacuations, including for life-threatening cases.