GENEVA: The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday announced it had led the medical evacuation of 41 critically ill patients and 145 companions from Gaza, amid growing international concern over the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn enclave.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X that around 15,000 Gazan patients are still awaiting evacuation. “We continue to call on countries to show their solidarity and for all routes to be opened to expedite medical evacuations,” he urged.
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Many of those awaiting transfer suffer from war-related injuries, while others battle chronic illnesses such as cancer and heart disease, conditions that Gaza’s decimated healthcare system can no longer manage.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict, more than 7,000 patients have been evacuated, with Egypt receiving over half of them. However, medical evacuations have slowed drastically since Israel’s seizure of the Rafah border crossing in May 2024, leaving the route effectively closed for patient transfers.
Following the collapse of a ceasefire in March, fewer than four patients per day have been able to leave Gaza. According to WHO figures, 15,600 patients, including 3,800 children, remain on the waiting list.
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Medical groups and Palestinian health authorities report that hundreds have died while waiting, including 740 people — 137 of them children — since July 2024.
Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) has maintained that all evacuations are subject to security checks, a process that humanitarian organisations say has further delayed life-saving transfers.