Gaza: Thousands of patients in the genocide-stricken Gaza Strip are still awaiting medical evacuation despite the ceasefire, World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said on Tuesday. Jasarevic made his remarks in response to questions by Anadolu on the latest developments in medical evacuations from Gaza, amid ongoing difficulties surrounding the process and patients' appeals for assistance in receiving medical treatment.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Jasarevic stated that 12,913 patients, including 6,186 children, had been medically evacuated from Gaza since October 2023, along with around 16,000 companions. He highlighted that medical evacuations are currently taking place three to four times a week. Jasarevic further noted that from August 2 to 8, 101 patients and 164 companions were evacuated, emphasizing that thousands of patients are still awaiting medical evacuation.
Israel has waged a military onslaught on the Strip since October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 73,387 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 174,257 others. The extensive military actions have led to the destruction of 90% of the Strip's infrastructure, with the cost of Gaza reconstruction estimated at $70 billion.
Since the Gaza ceasefire agreement went into effect on October 11, 2025, there have been additional casualties, with Israel killing 1,259 Palestinians and injuring 4,146 others. At least 807 slain Palestinians have been recovered during the same period. In the last 24 hours, the body of a slain Palestinian was admitted to Gaza hospitals along with a casualty.
The ongoing Israeli aggression has also led to the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from across the Gaza Strip. The majority of the displaced population has been forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt, marking Palestine's largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.