As thousands of patients in the Gaza Strip await medical evacuation for urgent treatment, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made a statement on their condition.
Last week, the World Health Organization supported the evacuation of 106 patients through the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings. Nineteen of the patients were children, and 132 companions accompanied them during the evacuations.
Medical evacuations continue
According to figures provided by Tedros, 13,237 patients, including 6,276 children, have been evacuated from Gaza since October 2023. The number of companions accompanying patients reached 16,406.
Tedros said medical evacuations give people in need of urgent care a chance to survive. The WHO Director-General stressed that continuous access through multiple crossing routes was needed to ensure that patients could receive timely treatment.
Gaza's worsening humanitarian situation
Ongoing attacks in Gaza have displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Some of those displaced have taken shelter in temporary shelters and tents across the territory.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed and more than 4,000 people injured since the US-mediated ceasefire.
Since October 2023, more than 73,400 Palestinians have been killed and more than 174,400 people injured in Gaza.