Fewer Than Hundred Gaza Patients Evacuated After Crossing Reopens

[Abdulrahmon Mubarak Olayinka]

Less than 100 Palestinian patients have been evacuated following the reopening of the Rafah border crossing, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). While the development has been welcomed as a positive step, officials stress that the medical situation inside Gaza remains extremely critical.

Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva on Wednesday, WHO representative Teresa Zakaria confirmed that the reopening has enabled the evacuation of more than 90 patients so far. She described the move as encouraging but insufficient compared to the scale of urgent medical needs in the territory.

Zakaria explained that these recent evacuations add to approximately 11,000 people who have already been transferred from Gaza to various countries. These individuals required urgent and highly specialized medical treatment that was not available within Gaza due to the ongoing crisis.

The Rafah crossing, which connects Gaza to Egypt, plays a crucial role in facilitating humanitarian access and medical transfers. Its reopening offers a vital lifeline for patients in critical condition who cannot receive adequate care locally.

Despite this progress, the WHO warned that thousands of patients remain in desperate need of evacuation. Zakaria revealed that more than 18,000 individuals are still waiting to be transferred out of Gaza for essential and often life-saving treatment.

Responding to a question from Anadolu, Zakaria emphasized that the WHO is working to increase the number of daily medical evacuations. She expressed hope that more patients would be able to leave Gaza in the coming days if access continues uninterrupted.

Health authorities continue to call for sustained humanitarian corridors and expanded medical evacuation efforts. Without consistent access and increased transfers, thousands of vulnerable patients may remain at serious risk due to limited healthcare capacity inside Gaza.

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