Palestine, Dec. 17 -- More than two years of carnage in Gaza and the decimation of its health system by Israeli forces has left thousands in need of medical care no longer available in the Strip. There are now more than 18,500 Palestinians awaiting medical evacuation from Gaza, and more than 1 in 5 of them are children.

Yet only a small portion of those in need of medical evacuation have been able to do so. Critical cases are being delayed or denied, often with fatal consequences. At least 1,000 patients have died while awaiting medical evacuation, according to the Ministry of Health, including one of our Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) colleagues, Abed El Hameed Qaradaya, who died while awaiting clearance for surg...