MSF warns of hundreds of Palestinian deaths awaiting medical evacuation from Gaza

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) appealed on Wednesday to countries to open their doors to thousands of Gazans in dire need of medical evacuation, warning that hundreds could die while waiting for treatment.

Hani Islim, the organization’s medical evacuation coordinator, told AFP that the number of patients received by countries so far “is just a drop in the ocean,” indicating that the actual number is three to four times higher.

Islim explained that the children he accompanied to Switzerland last week ranged in age from two months to 16 years and suffered from congenital heart defects and cancer, with some requiring complex orthopedic surgeries.

He added that these children went directly to surgery upon arrival to avoid irreversible damage, noting that the pace of medical evacuations has slowed as the situation in Gaza deteriorates.

He emphasized that one of the problems is the length and complexity of procedures in the countries concerned, where decision-making and funding for patients take a long time, while patients cannot afford to wait.

The WHO official pointed out that 99.9% of countries focus on receiving children and neglect adults who need life-saving treatment, with adults making up three-quarters of those awaiting medical evacuation.

Islim called on all countries to focus on the actual needs to save lives and not to treat patient waiting lists like a “shopping list.”