Medical evacuations from Gaza are being severely hampered by bureaucratic and security obstacles, leading to mounting casualties among the critically ill and injured, according to humanitarian organisations. The United Kingdom has joined international calls for the immediate establishment of a dedicated humanitarian corridor to facilitate the removal of patients requiring urgent care.
Diplomatic sources in London confirmed that British officials are pressing Israel and Egypt to expedite approvals for medical transfers, particularly for children and pregnant women. The Foreign Office released a statement describing the current situation as “intolerable” and urging all parties to prioritise civilian medical needs.
Hospitals in Gaza remain overwhelmed, with shortages of fuel, medicine, and clean water compounding the effects of sustained bombardment. The World Health Organisation has documented at least 2,000 patients awaiting evacuation, many with conditions such as severe burns, crush injuries, and chronic illnesses that cannot be treated locally.
Despite the urgent need, only a fraction of requests have been processed. Obstacles include security clearance delays from Israeli authorities, limited capacity at the Rafah crossing into Egypt, and the absence of a formal evacuation mechanism. Medical staff report that patients sometimes die while waiting for approval.
The European Union and several Arab states have echoed Britain’s call for a corridor, though no concrete agreement has been reached. Humanitarian law experts note that deliberate obstruction of medical evacuations may constitute a breach of the Geneva Conventions.
In a related development, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced it is facilitating limited transfers via its own convoy system, but warned that the operation is insufficient to meet demand. The UK has pledged additional funding to support these efforts, though no timeline for a corridor has been set.
The crisis underscores the broader humanitarian disaster in Gaza, where more than 1.5 million people have been displaced and infrastructure reduced to rubble. Without swift action, a high number of preventable deaths is inevitable.
