1,500 Gaza patients died waiting for treatment abroad, hospital director says

Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Gaza’s largest hospital, says the number of patients who have died waiting for medical evacuation abroad now exceeds 1,500. In an interview marking 1,000 days of war, he warned that the collapse of the territory’s health system has become deadlier than Israeli airstrikes. “More patients are now dying from the breakdown of the healthcare system than from direct bombings,” Abu Salmiya told reporters. He explained 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. The director’s comments highlight a growing crisis in Gaza, where international aid groups have repeatedly called for safe medical corridors. Israel has denied blocking medical evacuations, citing security concerns over Hamas using exits to smuggle fighters. Abu Salmiya’s figure of 1,500 deaths cannot be independently verified, but it reflects a sharp decline in Gaza’s ability to treat even basic injuries. Before the war, the territory’s health system was already strained by years of blockade. Now, with most major hospitals damaged or destroyed, doctors say they are forced to triage patients based on survival odds. “We are watching people die slowly from infections, chronic diseases, and lack of dialysis,” Abu Salmiya said. “The world’s silence is a death sentence.”