At least 1,092 patients in the Gaza Strip died while awaiting medical evacuation between July 2024 and November 28, 2025, according to data from local health authorities cited by the World Health Organization (WHO), Argentina's news agency (NA) has learned.
The information was provided by Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, who warned that the figure is "probably underestimated" as it is based solely on officially reported deaths.
Healthcare collapse and urgent calls to restore evacuations
Peeperkorn noted that the WHO has urged more countries to receive patients from Gaza and demanded that medical evacuations to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, be reinstated amid the collapse of the local healthcare system.
Currently, only 18 of Gaza's 36 hospitals are functioning partially, along with 43% of primary health care centers, in a context of a severe shortage of essential medicines and medical supplies, including those needed to treat heart diseases.
While the official acknowledged an improvement in approval rates for the entry of supplies, he warned that the process for importing medicines and medical equipment remains "unnecessarily slow and complex".
The WHO representative also indicated that the organization is facing difficulties in importing reagents and laboratory components, as many products are rejected for being considered of "dual use", and called on Israeli authorities to grant a "general approval" to allow the rapid entry of essential medical supplies.
Peeperkorn also warned that Storm Byron worsened the humanitarian situation in Gaza, affecting displaced families, and warned that winter conditions, combined with the precariousness of water and sanitation, could lead to an increase in acute respiratory infections, hepatitis, and diarrheal diseases.
"Children, the elderly, and people with chronic diseases remain the most vulnerable," concluded the official.
