AhlulBayt News Agency: Around 1,092 patients in the Gaza Strip died while waiting for medical evacuation between July 2024 and November 28, 2025, according to Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization’s representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, who cited Gaza’s health authorities during a press briefing at UN headquarters in New York on Friday.
Peeperkorn noted that the figure is likely underreported and based only on documented deaths.
He added, “WHO has urged more countries to accept patients from Gaza and called for the restoration of medical evacuation to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.”
According to Peeperkorn, 18 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals and 43 percent of primary healthcare centers are only partially functioning, with severe shortages of essential medicines and supplies needed for treating heart disease and other conditions.
The WHO representative explained that while approval rates for medical supplies entering Gaza have improved, the process remains “unnecessarily slow and complex.”
He said WHO continues to face difficulties in delivering laboratory reagents and critical equipment parts, as many items are denied entry under “dual use” restrictions.
Peeperkorn called on Israeli authorities to grant “blanket approval” for medical supplies to enter Gaza so that urgent needs can be met.
He further stated that Storm Byron struck Gaza hard, worsening the suffering of displaced families. He warned that winter conditions, combined with poor water and sanitation, are expected to increase cases of respiratory infections, hepatitis, and diarrheal diseases.
He emphasized that children, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses remain the most vulnerable.
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