'Two weeks after her death I got a call': Gaza patients face agonising delays for evacuation

Image caption, Saber Abu al-Kas's mother Amina died last month while waiting for medical evacuation from Gaza When Gaza's medical board approved Amina Abu al-Kas to leave the Strip for treatment abroad, her son Saber said it felt like the beginning of a new life. "It brought life back into her. She knew there was no treatment in Gaza, so she was happy and excited," he told the BBC. Amina was suffering from an aggressive necrotising infection that had spread to her skull. Doctors in Gaza told her they did not have the medicines or the therapies to treat it. "My mother couldn't sleep day or night; she stayed awake, crying out from the pain. Painkillers caused stomach ulcers and inflammation, and the doctors banned her from taking them." After receiving the medical referral, Saber said the family waited for news that Amina had passed security clearances and had been accepted by a foreign country for treatment - both necessary to leave Gaza. "We knew that at any moment God might take her. And we also knew that at any moment a miracle might happen, that we might get a call saying, 'Get your bags ready and prepare to travel through the crossing,'" Saber told the BBC. "We waited a long time, but no response came. My mother died [on 29 May], and two weeks after her death, I got a call from the hospital informing me that her paperwork was ready." Image source, Saber Abu al-KasImage caption, Doctors in Gaza told Amina Abu al-Kas they did not have the medicines or therapies to treat her infection Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says Amina is one of 300 Palestinians who have died waiting for medical evacuations since the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began there last October. The figures are also used by the World Health Organization (WHO), which assists with patient transfers via Gaza's Israeli-controlled border crossings with Israel and Egypt. Thousands of others - the health ministry currently says 15,000 - are still waiting for treatment abroad - some for war-related injuries; others for conditions such as cancer. The list of evacuees is constantly fluctuating, as patients' conditions and decisions change, meaning not all deaths may be recorded. Since the ceasefire began over eight months ago, the WHO says 1,977 people have left Gaza for medical treatment. Unless the process speeds up, it could take years to evacuate all those in need. "We are talking about something that feels like a miracle," Saber said. "If a patient's name is selected and they are granted permission to travel for treatment abroad, it is almost a miracle." After being approved by Gaza's medical referral board, patients must pass security checks by Israel, the host nation and any transit countries – and also be accepted by a host nation for treatment, which is not always a simple process. "Many recipient countries are quite specific in the type of patients they can support - for example, some only want children; others only want patients for shorter treatments," said Dr Reinhilde Van de Weerdt, WHO Representative for the occupied Palestinian territory. "Then patients and their companions need visas for the host country, and to pass security checks by Israel, Egypt/Jordan and the host country." In early June, the Gaza health ministry's acting undersecretary, Maher Shamia, said the primary causes of the delays were the lengthy security screening process and the limits imposed by Israeli authorities on the number of departures. He added that Palestinians were only allowed to leave via the Rafah crossing with Egypt three days a week, and that medical evacuations via the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel took place only one day a week. The Israeli defence ministry body responsible for civil affairs in Gaza, Cogat, said departures were subject to the receipt of an official request from a receiving country willing to accept a patient and the completion of security screening by relevant authorities. The "vast majority" of requests submitted by countries and organisations had been approved since the start of 2025, it added. Image caption, More than 15,000 patients with referrals are waiting for treatment abroad, the WHO says Between the bombed-out buildings of Gaza City's al-Shifa hospital, dozens of people have gathered to protest against delays in the process. Nidal al-Arir wails on the ground, pleading for his son, who needs a corneal transplant. Raeda Nuaizi says cancer led to the removal of her breasts, ovaries, uterus and pelvic bone before the war. "What is my treatment [in Gaza]? Painkillers!" she cried. "But what can painkillers do for a cancer patient?" Beside them, 14-year-old Muath al-Dini, balanced on crutches after a leg amputation, is waiting for two separate medical evacuations. His mother, Umm Samir al-Dini, told the BBC that Muath lost his leg in an air strike on their family home, which also killed another of her children, and injured her husband and younger son. But she said Muath had also

'Two weeks after her death I got a call': Gaza patients face agonising delays for evacuation

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