How Many Gaza Patients Has Israel Let Out for Treatment? Close to 5,000 via Kerem Shalom
Close to 5,000 ill and wounded people left Gaza via Kerem Shalom for treatment abroad, on COGAT’s own count, with the route and procedure behind it.
Close to 5,000 ill and wounded people, along with escorts, exited Gaza via the Kerem Shalom Crossing for treatment abroad, on COGAT’s own count on its Medical Response page, read on 29 September 2026. The figure covers exits through Kerem Shalom, the route COGAT says has been in use since August 2024, and the page states no start or end date for it. Israel’s Foreign Ministry separately reported over 750 patients leaving for care overseas by 16 December 2023, on its own count.
| Figure | What it counts | Who published it | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close to 5,000 | Ill and wounded people who exited via Kerem Shalom for treatment abroad, with escorts; COGAT’s own count | COGAT | No window stated; page undated, read 29 September 2026 |
| Over 750 | Patients who exited Gaza for care overseas; the ministry’s own count | Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Cumulative to 16 December 2023 |
| 130 | Ambulances that entered Gaza, listed by donor; COGAT’s own list | COGAT | No window stated |
| 170 | Beds at the IMC Field Hospital in Al Mawasi, the largest COGAT lists | COGAT | Opened 6 January 2024 |
| More than 2,000 | Patients treated at the French floating hospital at Al Arish, 40 beds | COGAT | To 28 January 2024 |
| 18,000 tons | Medical supplies and medicines entering Gaza, on tonnages self-declared by suppliers | COGAT | Since 10 October 2025 |
Close to 5,000 patients left Gaza via Kerem Shalom, COGAT states
The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) states that close to 5,000 ill and wounded people, along with escorts, left through Kerem Shalom for treatment in Egypt, the UAE, Jordan and other countries. The count is COGAT’s own, published by the Ministry of Defense unit that runs the crossing procedure. COGAT adds two statements about its own policy:
- “The scale of exits was entirely contingent on a third country submitting a request and agreeing to receive those exiting Gaza.”
- “Israel did not impose any limitation on the number of Gazans who may exit Gaza.”
The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported over 750 patients exiting Gaza for care overseas, cumulative to 16 December 2023. That is the ministry’s own count, for an earlier period, and it is a separate figure from COGAT’s.
Exits moved from Rafah to Kerem Shalom in August 2024
COGAT’s Medical Response page records that patients left through the Rafah Crossing into Egypt until the IDF ground operation in Rafah in early May 2024. On COGAT’s own account, Israel then developed an alternative route once Rafah closed: “As of August 2024, patient exits were conducted via the Kerem Shalom Crossing.”
| Period | Crossing used for patient exits, on COGAT’s account |
|---|---|
| Until early May 2024 | Rafah Crossing, into Egypt |
| Early May 2024 | Rafah Crossing closed after the IDF ground operation in Rafah |
| From August 2024 | Kerem Shalom Crossing |
Source: COGAT, Medical Response page, read 29 September 2026.
COGAT’s mechanism requires a receiving state and security screening
The Medical Evacuation Mechanism states that evacuation is “voluntary” and runs through a third country. It is COGAT’s own published procedure, and it sets these steps:
- A receiving state consents and agrees to accept the patients for treatment.
- A state or organisation submits a list of patients and companions to COGAT’s medical response team.
- Every patient and escort undergoes security screening.
- Evacuations “will not be approved if there are security reasons that prevent their passage”.
COGAT lists four hospitals with 16 to 170 beds
COGAT’s Medical Response page records four hospitals added in or near Gaza, set out alongside the exits. The list and every figure in it are COGAT’s own account.
| Facility | Location | Opened or period | Capacity, as COGAT lists it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jordanian Field Hospital | Khan Yunis | Opened 29 November 2023 | 41 beds, 104 medical personnel |
| IMC Field Hospital | Al Mawasi | Opened 6 January 2024 | 170 beds, about 600 staff |
| UK Med Field Hospital | Deir al Balah | Opened 12 May 2024 | 16 beds |
| French floating hospital | Al Arish | To 28 January 2024 | 40 beds, more than 2,000 patients treated |
COGAT also lists 130 ambulances entering Gaza, by donor. COGAT’s July 2026 Humanitarian Situation Report records 18,000 tons of medical supplies and medicines entering Gaza since 10 October 2025, on tonnages self-declared by humanitarian organisations and private sector providers rather than weighed at the crossings. Its wider aid tonnages are set out in what COGAT counts entering Gaza.
COGAT’s 5,000 figure carries no start date or end date
COGAT’s Medical Response page states the close-to-5,000 figure without a window, and the page itself is undated. The count is COGAT’s own and covers Kerem Shalom only. What the two COGAT publications cited here do not carry:
- A start date for the count.
- An end date for the count, beyond the date the page was read, 29 September 2026.
- A count of exits through Rafah before May 2024, which the page describes but does not number.
- A monthly or yearly series of medical exits.
- A separate count of escorts.
- A count of evacuations not approved.
Which of these counts may be added together?
None of them. COGAT’s close-to-5,000 covers Kerem Shalom exits with no stated window; the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported its over 750, the ministry’s own count, for the period to 16 December 2023, before exits moved to Kerem Shalom. The two come from different bodies and different periods, so adding them produces no total. “Close to 5,000” stays an approximation, and “over 750” and “more than 2,000” stay floors. Field hospital patients were treated inside or near Gaza and are not exits.
Questions readers ask
How many patients left Gaza through Rafah?
COGAT’s Medical Response page records that patients exited through Rafah into Egypt until early May 2024, on its own account, and gives no count for those exits.
Which countries received patients from Gaza?
The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) states that patients went to Egypt, the UAE, Jordan and various other countries. It is COGAT’s own account and gives no breakdown by country.
Does Israel cap how many patients can leave?
COGAT’s Medical Response page states that “Israel did not impose any limitation on the number of Gazans who may exit Gaza.” That is COGAT’s own statement about its own policy, alongside its statement that exits depended on a third country requesting and agreeing to receive patients.
Can a patient leave with a companion?
The Medical Evacuation Mechanism states that a state or organisation submits a list of patients and companions to COGAT’s medical response team. Under COGAT’s own procedure, escorts undergo the same security screening as patients.
Is a medical evacuation compulsory?
The Medical Evacuation Mechanism states that evacuation is “voluntary” and requires a receiving state’s consent, under COGAT’s own published procedure.
Why would an evacuation be refused?
COGAT’s published mechanism states that evacuations “will not be approved if there are security reasons that prevent their passage”. It is COGAT’s own procedure, and neither COGAT document cited here gives a count of refusals.
How many ambulances entered Gaza?
The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) records 130, on its own list, led by Kuwait with 32 and Saudi Arabia with 29.
Which field hospital was the largest?
COGAT’s Medical Response page records the IMC Field Hospital in Al Mawasi, opened 6 January 2024, with 170 beds and about 600 staff, on COGAT’s own account.
How many patients did the French floating hospital treat?
COGAT’s Medical Response page records more than 2,000 patients treated at the 40-bed hospital at Al Arish, to 28 January 2024, on its own account.
How many patients had left Gaza by the end of 2023?
The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported over 750, cumulative to 16 December 2023. It is the ministry’s own count.
How much medical supply has entered Gaza since the ceasefire?
COGAT’s Humanitarian Situation Report records 18,000 tons of medical supplies and medicines since 10 October 2025. The count is COGAT’s own, on tonnages self-declared by suppliers rather than weighed at the crossings.
Sources
- Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). Medical Response (Gaza). Undated, read 29 September 2026. https://gaza-aid-data.gov.il/mainhome/medical-response/. Official or primary record, COGAT’s own account.
- Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). Medical Evacuation Mechanism of Gaza Residents to Third Countries Through Israel. https://www.gov.il/BlobFolder/policy/medical-evacuation-mechanism-of-gaza-residents-en/en/Medical%20Evacuation%20Mechanism%20of%20Gaza%20Residents%20to%20Third%20Countries%20Through%20Israel.pdf. Official or primary record, COGAT’s own procedure.
- Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), 2026. Humanitarian Situation Report During the Ceasefire. https://gaza-aid-data.gov.il/media/e2gjueei/humanitarian-situation-report-during-the-ceasefire-cogat-july-2026.pdf. Official or primary record, COGAT’s own count.
- Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2023. Israel-Hamas Conflict 2023: Humanitarian Efforts. https://www.gov.il/en/pages/israel-hamas-conflict-2023-humanitarian-efforts. Official or primary record, the ministry’s own count.
