DaysofPal – World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that more than 18,500 patients in Gaza require specialized medical care that is not available inside the territory.
In a post published on Tuesday on the social media platform X, Ghebreyesus said the World Health Organization and its partners supported the medical evacuation of five patients and seven companions to Egypt through the Rafah border crossing on Monday. He described the operation as the first medical evacuation via Rafah since March 2025.
Ghebreyesus stressed the urgent need to rehabilitate and rebuild Gaza’s health sector after more than two years of sustained attacks, warning that continued reliance on medical evacuations reflects the severe damage inflicted on the healthcare system.
He called for accelerated efforts to strengthen health services, including the delivery of medical supplies, the repair of damaged facilities, and the expansion of essential services to establish a resilient and sustainable health system within Gaza.
He also urged the immediate reopening of the medical referral pathway to the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to speed access to life-saving care for patients who cannot be treated locally.
The warning comes as conditions for critically ill patients continue to deteriorate. Earlier, the director of Gaza’s al-Shifa Medical Complex, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, said specialized medical committees are prioritizing cases based on severity, noting that around 450 patients in extremely critical condition remain on waiting lists. He said patients are dying at an almost daily rate due to delays in referral for treatment outside the enclave.
On Wednesday, Israeli forces cancelled the coordination for the travel of a third group of patients and wounded people through the Rafah crossing, only two days after the border was partially reopened. Patients’ suffering has increased as a result of the action, which also highlights ongoing travel restrictions.
Raed al-Nims, spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza, said the organization was officially informed of the cancellation without any explanation, despite medical teams already preparing a new group of critical cases for departure. He said the sudden decision disrupted the travel of dozens of patients who were preparing to leave Gaza for treatment abroad, at a time when the territory’s healthcare system is facing near-total collapse.
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