.@WHO and partners supported a medical evacuation from Gaza yesterday via the Rafah crossing, transferring 17 patients to Egypt for care that is currently unavailable due to the widespread devastation of the health system. Thirty companions accompanied the group of patients.
This medical evacuation via the Rafah crossing was carried out after a brief pause between 23–25 March 2026. WHO suspended medical evacuations during this period as conditions were not in place to safely continue operations.
Medical evacuations help give people in need of urgent care a vital chance of survival. But for ensuring timely treatment for patients, medical evacuation requires sustained access through multiple crossing routes. At the moment, Rafah is the sole point of access to medical care outside of Gaza, as the Kerem Shalom crossing remains closed.
WHO appeals for medical evacuation to be facilitated via all possible routes.
WHO also calls for the urgent re-opening of the referral route to West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to reduce reliance on medical evacuations. At the same time, sustained investment is needed to ensure rapid scale-up of health services within Gaza.
Since October 2023, a total of 11,209 patients and 13,215 companions have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip to over 30 countries. But thousands of patients still await medical evacuation.