WHO warns many in Gaza remain in need of urgent medical evacuation
The head of the global health body says the organization recently assisted in transferring 21 patients from Gaza to Jordan on Jan. 19, along with 36 accompanying family members, expressing appreciation for Jordan’s ongoing cooperation.
Despite these limited evacuations, he notes that many patients remain unable to leave the enclave as Gaza’s health system remains under extreme strain. Ongoing military operations, acute shortages of medicine and fuel, and widespread destruction of medical facilities continue to undermine healthcare services, according to statements.
The agency’s chief also welcomes the recent authorization allowing one Gaza patient to travel to the occupied West Bank following a decision by the Jerusalem District Court, describing it as the first approval of its kind since October 2023.
“This is a step in the right direction and must pave the way for the reopening of the medical evacuation route to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which remains the most time- and cost-effective route, with hospitals ready to receive patients,” he says in a post on a US-based social media platform.
Based on data from the Israeli military, Israel continues to maintain control over Gaza’s southern and eastern buffer zones as well as extensive areas in the north, effectively exercising authority over more than half of the territory.
Since the implementation of a ceasefire, Israeli attacks reportedly kill 483 Palestinians and injure 1,287 others. At the same time, strict limits remain in place on the entry of food, shelter supplies, and medical aid, leaving around 2.4 million Palestinians facing worsening humanitarian conditions.
Since Israel’s military campaign in Gaza began on Oct. 8, 2023, more than 71,000 Palestinians are reported killed and over 171,000 wounded, the majority of them women and children. The United Nations estimates that roughly 90% of civilian infrastructure has been destroyed, with reconstruction costs projected to reach about $70 billion.
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