Thousands of Gaza Patients Await Evacuation, Hundreds Die Without Care

As of October 21, 2026, approximately 21,000 patients in the Gaza Strip were waiting for medical evacuation, with at least 1,570 of them, including 505 cancer patients, dying while awaiting treatment unavailable within the territory[9][6].

This dire situation highlights a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where a devastated healthcare system leaves vulnerable patients without critical, life-saving medical care. The collapse of medical infrastructure means that many, particularly those with complex conditions like cancer, face a perilous wait for outside help that often does not arrive.

What the records show

Around 21,000 patients require medical evacuation from Gaza because necessary treatments are not available there, according to reports from October 2026[6][9]. Physicians for Human Rights Israel reported on October 21, 2026, that 1,570 patients died while awaiting evacuation, a figure that includes 505 cancer patients and 264 children[9][15]. These deaths occurred between October 2023 and July 2, 2026, based on figures from the Gaza Health Ministry[15]. As of October 24, 2026, an estimated 11,000 Palestinian cancer patients remained trapped without basic care[13]. The healthcare system in Gaza is severely compromised; World Health Organization (WHO) metrics indicate that 94% of Gaza's medical facilities have been either destroyed or severely damaged[13]. As of March 31, 2026, only 19 of 36 hospitals were partially functional[1].

The timeline

On October 23, 2023, an Israeli military airstrike hit the third floor of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, Gaza's only specialized cancer hospital[4]. Days later, fuel shortages led to its closure[4]. The hospital was later used as a military base by the Israeli Army[16][18][19]. On March 21, 2025, the hospital was completely destroyed by the Israeli military[4][8][16][17].

By May 2025, the European Gaza Hospital was forced to shut down due to sustained attacks[4]. Cancer services were then relocated to Nasser Hospital[4]. Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) supported the reopening of inpatient wards and outpatient clinics there, and repaired an old machine to resume chemotherapy services by the first week of June 2025[4]. However, the World Health Organization's efforts to coordinate the transfer of essential equipment, such as a chemotherapy preparation machine, were denied[4].

What changed and for whom

The destruction and damage to healthcare facilities have severely disrupted access to life-saving treatment for cancer patients[4]. As of October 1, 2026, radiotherapy was completely unavailable inside Gaza, and oncology departments faced shortages of chemotherapy drugs, hormonal treatments, and targeted therapies[7]. Najat Abu al-Sheikh, a 46-year-old cancer patient at al-Shifa Hospital, completed six hours of targeted therapy but could not receive required radiation treatment, despite being registered for medical evacuation in April 2026[13].

The Palestinian Health Ministry warned on October 1, 2026, that breast cancer screening and early diagnostic services were "extremely limited and virtually suspended"[7]. The ministry noted severe shortages and repeated breakdowns of mammography machines, along with a lack of laboratory reagents[7]. Before October 2023, around 360 new breast cancer cases were diagnosed annually; this figure fell to 250 in 2024 and 260 in 2025, suggesting hundreds of women may have gone undiagnosed[7]. The UNRWA's breast cancer screening program, which identified 544 confirmed cases between 2016 and 2022, has been largely suspended since the escalation of hostilities, increasing the likelihood of treatable cancers going undetected[12]. Dr. Saleh Sheikh al-Eid, a specialist physician in haematology and oncology, stated in January 2026 that cancer diagnosis had reached "an extremely critical stage"[5][20].

What the subject has said publicly

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza issued a warning on October 1, 2026, stating that women with cancer faced a "catastrophic health and humanitarian reality"[7]. Dr. Saleh Sheikh Al-Eid, Head of the Oncology and Hematology Department at Nasser Medical Complex, affirmed in July 2026 that cancer patients in Gaza were facing catastrophic conditions, warning that thousands had become "waiting for death" due to severe shortages of essential medicines and treatments[21].

What we could not confirm

We could not confirm the current exact number of operational specialized oncology departments or facilities remaining in Gaza, beyond the general statement that the oncology network is severely constrained to partial operations at al-Shifa and Nasser Medical Complex[13]. We also could not confirm the specific types and quantities of oncology medications currently available or completely out of stock across all remaining facilities.