Gaza’s Children Are Dying as Medical Evacuations Stall Amid Fragile Ceasefire
In Gaza’s war-torn hospitals, children continue to die while waiting for life-saving medical evacuations. Despite a fragile ceasefire, thousands of patients including young children with cancer and war injuries remain trapped in critical condition.
Three-year-old Zain Tafesh is among the latest to lose his life. The little boy, battling leukemia, passed away earlier this week after months of waiting for permission to leave Gaza for treatment abroad.
In Nasser Hospital, two ten-year-old boys lie helpless one paralyzed by a bullet wound, another suffering from a brain tumor. The World Health Organization (WHO) says more than 15,000 patients urgently need to be evacuated from Gaza for medical care.
“He needs surgery urgently,” says Ola Abu Said, whose son Amar was struck by a drone bullet. “Doctors warned us the surgery is risky but he won’t survive without it.”
Years of conflict have left Gaza’s healthcare system shattered. Hospitals lack basic medicine, surgical tools, and electricity. Doctors often diagnose diseases but cannot provide proper treatment.
In another ward, ten-year-old Ahmed al-Jadd lies pale and weak. His sister, Shahd, tells us that their father died in the war and now her little brother may not survive either. “He used to sell water to help us. Now he can barely move,” she says, her eyes welling with tears.
WHO Calls for Urgent Evacuations
Earlier this week, the WHO managed to evacuate a limited group 41 patients and 145 caregivers through Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing. They were later taken to Jordan for further treatment.
However, the organization warns that thousands more are still waiting, many of them children battling cancer, infections, and injuries.
WHO chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged Israel to reopen access to West Bank and East Jerusalem hospitals, which could treat hundreds of patients daily.
“We already have the infrastructure and experience,” said Dr. Fadi Atrash, CEO of Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem. “If the route reopens, we can treat up to 50 patients a day for chemotherapy and surgeries.”
Borders Still Closed
Israel, however, has kept Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt closed, saying Hamas must first return the bodies of Israeli hostages as per the ceasefire terms. Since May 2024, the Israeli military has controlled the border area, halting most humanitarian movements.
When asked why medical evacuations remain blocked, Israel’s defense body COGAT said the decision rests with the “political echelon,” offering no further explanation.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s health ministry reports that at least 740 people, including 140 children, have died while waiting for evacuation since last year.
Hope Fading for Gaza’s Sick Children
Inside Nasser Hospital, frustration mixes with grief.
“It’s the most painful thing,” says Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, head of pediatrics. “We can diagnose but not treat. Every day, we lose more children simply because we can’t provide the care they need.”
Funerals for young patients have become tragically common.
Eight-year-old Saadi Abu Taha died from stomach cancer.
A day later, Zain Tafesh and Luay Dweik, both under ten, died from hepatitis.
The ceasefire may have brought silence to Gaza’s skies but for its hospitals, the suffering continues.
Unless urgent action is taken, many more Gazan children will die waiting for the help that never comes.
