The United Nations has confirmed that around 12,500 patients in Gaza are in urgent need of medical evacuation, as the enclave’s healthcare system verges on total collapse. UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq stated during a press briefing in New York on Thursday that the World Health Organization has supported some evacuations, but the numbers remain tragically low. On Wednesday, only 18 patients and around 30 companions were allowed to leave Gaza for treatment.

Haq reiterated the necessity of opening all available crossings to facilitate medical evacuations and the entry of critical humanitarian supplies. As fuel, medicine, and food stocks dwindle, the humanitarian situation in Gaza grows more desperate by the day.

More than 60,000 children in Gaza are now suffering from malnutrition. Community kitchens, once lifelines for displaced families, are running out of fuel and supplies. Meanwhile, shelters hosting thousands of displaced civilians are experiencing a severe water shortage, deepening the already catastrophic conditions.

The renewed Israeli military offensive, launched after a breach of the ceasefire 25 days ago, has unleashed a new wave of destruction and suffering. Since March 18 alone, Israeli forces have killed at least 1,522 civilians and injured nearly 4,000 more. Official data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health now puts the overall death toll at 50,886, with over 115,000 injured since October 7, 2023.

On March 2, Israel sealed off all border crossings into Gaza, halting the flow of humanitarian, relief, and medical aid. The resulting blockade has been condemned by human rights groups, who warn that the Strip is being pushed into unprecedented levels of hunger and deprivation.

As the world watches, 12,500 patients wait—many of them children, cancer sufferers, and those with chronic illnesses—trapped in a war zone without access to the care that could save their lives.