ANKARA – The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has urged Israel to expedite medical evacuations from Gaza, describing the current pace as “excruciatingly slow.”
In a post on X, Tedros revealed that since October 2023, just 5,383 patients have been evacuated with WHO’s assistance, and only 436 since the Rafah crossing closed. He emphasized that over 12,000 critically ill individuals, including thousands of children, still require urgent medical evacuation.
At the current rate, it could take 5-10 years to evacuate all those in need, during which many may worsen or die due to lack of care. Tedros expressed gratitude to countries like Turkey, Italy, Spain, Jordan, and Ireland for their ongoing support in facilitating evacuations.
He called on Israel to increase approval rates for medical evacuations, specifically for child patients, and to open more corridors and crossings to ensure safe evacuations.
The ongoing conflict has claimed nearly 45,600 lives, mostly women and children, since October 7, 2023. Meanwhile, Israel faces international legal challenges, including war crime charges, and a genocide case at the International Court of Justice. The call from the WHO highlights the urgent need for global cooperation to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
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