The World Health Organization announced that 16,500 Palestinian patients in Gaza are waiting to be evacuated for treatment abroad, calling for unrestricted humanitarian access through all crossings and for more countries to receive critical cases.
In a statement issued Saturday, the WHO said its medical supplies are ready at the border, stressing the need to urgently reopen the Rafah crossing and all entry points to the Gaza Strip.
The organization described Rafah as a vital corridor for medical evacuations and a main route for health supplies into the enclave.
Since the ceasefire agreement took effect on October 10, Israeli occupation authorities have allowed only limited quantities of humanitarian aid to enter through two of seven crossings, while keeping the Rafah border crossing closed until further notice, in what the WHO said constitutes a violation of the truce’s terms.
