Geneva, Feb. 4 (SANA) More than 18,500 Palestinian patients in the Gaza Strip require specialized medical care that is not available locally, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on the social media platform X that the agency supported the medical evacuation of five patients from Gaza to Egypt through the Rafah border crossing on Monday. He said it marked the first medical evacuation via the crossing since March.
Ghebreyesus said there is an urgent need to strengthen health services in Gaza, including the supply of medical equipment, as well as rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts, to reduce reliance on medical evacuations after more than two years of Israel’s ongoing war on the enclave.
He also called for the immediate reopening of the medical referral route to the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, to speed access to life-saving treatment.
The Rafah border crossing reopened on Sunday between Gaza and Egypt to allow the movement of Palestinians, particularly humanitarian cases such as patients and other vulnerable individuals. The crossing had been closed since May 7, 2024, following Israeli military war on the Gaza Strip.
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