GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday said that an estimated 8,000 Palestinian patients urgently require evacuation from the Gaza Strip amid relentless Israeli bombardment. The organization expressed frustration over the slow progress in transferring patients out of the besieged Palestinian territory, emphasizing the critical need to relieve the strain on overwhelmed medical facilities.
Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO representative in the Palestinian territories, highlighted the severity of the situation during a press briefing in Geneva. He stated that among the patients in need, approximately 6,000 are suffering from injuries related to the ongoing Israeli attacks, including trauma injuries, burns, and amputations. Additionally, 2,000 patients require evacuation for non-conflict-related medical conditions.
Prior to the outbreak of the conflict, Gaza routinely referred 50 to 100 patients per day to medical facilities in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, with a significant portion being cancer patients. However, since the conflict escalated on October 7, the situation has deteriorated rapidly, with more than 30,600 Palestinian casualties reported, mostly women and children.
Palestinian Patients Need Urgent Evacuation
Despite the urgent need for evacuation, only 2,293 patients have been referred outside Gaza for medical treatment between October 7 and February 20. Peeperkorn emphasized that the evacuation process requires coordination among various stakeholders, including authorities in Gaza, Israel, and Egypt, as well as hospital directors.
Efforts to establish a streamlined medical evacuation system have faced significant challenges, with Peeperkorn expressing bewilderment over the delays. While several countries, including Egypt and other Middle Eastern nations, have offered to receive patients and their companions, progress has been slow.
The dire situation in Gaza has placed immense pressure on its healthcare infrastructure, with 23 out of 36 hospitals in the territory non-functioning, and the remainder operating at minimal capacity. Since the conflict began, approximately 1,500 amputations have been performed, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
The WHO reiterated the urgent need for an organized and sustained medical evacuation effort to provide essential treatment to patients in Gaza. Peeperkorn underscored that such measures are essential not only for the well-being of the patients but also to alleviate the immense strain on Gaza’s collapsing healthcare system.
The WHO previously identified Al-Arish Hospital in Egypt as the main referral hospital for evacuating wounded patients, with plans for onward referrals to second-line hospitals.
