More than a thousand people in need of medical care have died while waiting to be evacuated from the war-torn Gaza Strip, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Palestinian data.
The UN agency's top director, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced that more than 10,000 patients with severe medical needs have been evacuated since the war broke out just over two years ago. More than half of these are said to have been children.
But "many more" remain in Gaza and are waiting to be picked up in order to receive proper help, he emphasizes.
Since July 2024, 1,092 people have died while waiting, Tedros said. He referred to data from healthcare in Hamas-ruled Gaza and emphasized that there is likely a large undercount there as well.
