GENEVA, Feb. 3– The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday hailed the first medical evacuation of five patients from the Gaza Strip through the recently reopened Rafah crossing, meanwhile warning that thousands remain in urgent need of care.
At a press briefing, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said five patients and seven companions were evacuated to Egypt on Monday with support from the UN health agency and its partners, marking the first medical evacuation through Rafah since 2025, after the crossing reopened earlier this week.
Lindmeier said the evacuation was a “test” and the start of a process that could allow a flow of medical evacuations, stressing that far more efforts are needed.
According to the WHO, more than 18,500 patients in Gaza still require specialized medical treatment currently unavailable in Gaza, including care for severe war-related injuries and chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes.
“We managed to get five out, which is again fantastic, but obviously we need many more,” Lindmeier said, adding that many patients have died while waiting for evacuation.
According to the WHO spokesperson, before the current conflict, hundreds of patients used to leave Gaza daily via the Rafah crossing for medical treatment, and he called for a return to that level of access.
Following an initial trial reopening on Sunday, the Palestinian side of the crossing officially resumed operations on Monday for the first time since May 2024, as part of the implementation of the second phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, after two years of conflict that had killed at least 71,800 Palestinians and injured over 171,500, according to Gaza’s health authorities. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
