Lorraine Williamson
Fifteen children and one adult from Gaza have arrived in Spain from Egypt to receive treatment for serious medical conditions. The children are aged between 3 and 17. They were accompanied by the mother of one of the children, who will also receive medical care.
WHO’s role and support
The World Health Organisation (WHO) played a crucial role in coordinating the evacuation and treatment of these patients. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed gratitude for the cooperation between Egypt, Spain, and other partners. He highlighted the importance of international support for those affected by the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Medical evacuation challenges
The patients had been in Egyptian hospitals for several months after evacuating Gaza. The WHO stated that thousands more in Gaza are in need of specialised medical care that is not available locally. Tedros urged other countries with the necessary medical facilities to offer assistance to those affected by the war.
Impact of border closures
The children and their caregivers had been in Egypt since before the Rafah border crossing was closed on May 6, making further evacuations nearly impossible. Since the closure, only 23 people have been evacuated through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Ongoing need for evacuations
Since the conflict began on October 7, around 5,000 people from Gaza have been evacuated for medical treatment. The majority have been receiving care in Egypt, Qatar, and the UAE. However, the WHO noted that at least 10,000 more people are in urgent need of medical evacuation, a number that may have increased to 14,000.
Call for medical corridors
WHO officials emphasised the need for establishing multiple medical evacuation corridors from Gaza, including through Rafah and Kerem Shalom. They stressed the importance of resuming medical evacuations to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and facilitating transfers to Egypt and Jordan.
A glimmer of hope
Tedros praised the international cooperation that made the evacuations possible, calling it a rare positive development in a conflict marked by tragedy. He expressed hope that such cooperation would become a standard practice rather than an exceptional event.
The arrival of these patients in Spain underscores the critical need for international collaboration in providing medical care to those affected by conflicts. The WHO continues to advocate for more countries to open their doors and medical facilities to those in need from Gaza.