1,500 Gaza Patients Dead Waiting for Evacuation as Health System Collapses Faster Than Bombs
More than 1,500 sick and wounded Gazans have died waiting for medical treatment abroad, according to the director of Gaza’s largest hospital, as the territory’s health system collapses under war and blockade.
Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Gaza’s main hospital, said the number of patients who perished while awaiting medical evacuation abroad has surpassed 1,500, warning that the breakdown of the healthcare system is now killing more people than direct Israeli airstrikes [188297]. In an interview marking 1,000 days of conflict, Abu Salmiya told reporters that severe shortages of medicine, fuel, and clean water have crippled hospitals, while border closures prevent the sick and wounded from reaching specialized care in Egypt or other countries [188297].
“More patients are now dying from the breakdown of the healthcare system than from direct bombings,” Abu Salmiya said, adding that doctors are forced to triage patients based on survival odds as most major hospitals are damaged or destroyed [188297]. The figure of 1,500 deaths cannot be independently verified, but it reflects a sharp decline in Gaza’s ability to treat even basic injuries, with patients dying from infections, chronic diseases, and lack of dialysis [188297].
Meanwhile, a separate report from Israeli human rights group B’Tselem documented that Israeli soldiers killed 54 minors in the occupied West Bank in January 2025 alone, with no soldiers facing punishment for the killings [185052]. B’Tselem stated that the army’s actions stem from a broader dehumanization of Palestinians, creating an environment where violence against children goes unchecked [185052].
The developments come as rights groups warn that a new agreement between Lebanon and Israel threatens to block victims of war crimes from seeking justice in international courts [188151]. The framework agreement, signed in Washington on June 26, 2026, includes clauses that appear to prevent Lebanon or Israel from using the International Criminal Court or the International Court of Justice, which would violate their legal duty to pursue accountability for serious crimes, according to six human rights and press freedom organizations [188151].
The agreement also ties the return of displaced residents to the “successful disarmament of non-state armed groups,” despite international law requiring people to be allowed to return home once hostilities end [188151]. More than 8,700 people have been killed in Lebanon since October 2023, including at least 569 children, while Israeli attacks killed at least 32 civilians in Israel [188151]. The agreement makes no mention of justice or reparations for victims [188151].
“Accountability and respect for international law are not bargaining chips,” said Ghida Frangieh of Legal Agenda. “There cannot be peace without justice” [188151].