Over 2,000 Gaza Patients Die Awaiting Treatment, Evacuation

GAZA, Oct 14 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- A total of 2,027 patients in the Gaza Strip have died while awaiting treatment and medical evacuation amid the continued closure of border crossings and restrictions on the entry of medicines and medical supplies, a medical official said on Wednesday, reported Xinhua.

Mohammed Abu Afash, director of medical relief in Gaza City, told the Voice of Palestine radio that more than 21,000 patients required medical evacuation.

No patients had left the enclave through the Rafah crossing in the previous five days, he added.

Abu Afash said the closure of crossings and delays in medical evacuations had worsened patients’ conditions and led to serious complications, particularly among those suffering from cancer, kidney failure, heart disease and other chronic illnesses.

Hospitals across the Gaza Strip were facing severe shortages of medical resources and diagnostic supplies, including laboratory and radiology services, operating rooms, medicines and other medical supplies, he said. The shortages had prevented patients from receiving appropriate treatment.

Before the conflict, the Gaza Strip had more than 574 operational health centres, but only 227 were currently operating with limited resources, Abu Afash said.

He added that the situation had adversely affected healthcare services for pregnant women and children.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s health authorities said hospitals had received three bodies and 17 wounded people over the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of casualties recorded since the October 2025 ceasefire to 1,501 deaths and 5,323 injuries.

In its daily report, the authorities said the cumulative death toll in the Gaza Strip since Oct 7, 2023, had reached 74,392, while 175,440 people had been wounded.

-- BERNAMA-XINHUA