MIDDLE EAST (Enmaeya News) - December 3, 2025

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called on countries worldwide to allow tens of thousands of Gaza residents in urgent need of medical evacuation to access treatment abroad, warning that hundreds have already died while waiting for care, according to local reports.

Hani Islim, MSF’s coordinator for medical evacuations, said the number of patients currently accepted by foreign countries represents “only a drop in the ocean,” noting that the true number of those in need could be three to four times higher than the official figures.

According to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 8,000 patients have been evacuated since the outbreak of hostilities on October 7, 2023, yet over 16,500 remain in need of treatment outside the Gaza Strip. Many of these patients are children suffering from severe illnesses, including cancer and congenital heart disease.

“Medical evacuations must not be treated as a shopping list. Governments need to prioritize actual needs and save human lives,” Islim said, warning that the current slowdown in evacuations is putting more lives at risk and contributing to deaths among those still waiting for treatment.

MSF’s appeal underscores the humanitarian crisis facing Gaza’s patients, as ongoing conflict and border restrictions continue to limit access to life-saving medical care.