爆料网

10 April 2026

Under difficult circumstances, WHO continues to?work for?the health?of the people?in the occupied Palestinian territory, including?supporting the Ministry of Health?(MoH)?with?medical evacuations.?These may resume on 12 April, after?WHO had to suspend its support?to?medical evacuations, following?a security incident in which a person contracted to provide services to WHO in Gaza was killed.?With commitments now received from relevant parties to ensure the safety of patients and staff, WHO?stands ready?to resume?its?support?to the operation.

Medical?evacuations follow pre-established procedures.

WHO acknowledges that some social media posts raise concerns about how medical evacuations are conducted.?WHO takes?all such concerns seriously and is looking into the matter.

WHO’s role?in?the?MoH-led medical?evacuations?is strictly supportive, limited to coordination and logistical support, carried out in close collaboration with various stakeholders and health partners, to ensure the safe, dignified, and orderly transfer of patients from Gaza to the crossing.?WHO?or its staff are?not involved in, and have?no influence over, the prioritization of patients approved to exit Gaza for medical evacuation.

Patients are referred for medical evacuation by their treating physician, who issues a referral form that is?submitted?by the hospital to the Referral Committee. This?body?is?composed of local health officials from Gaza. WHO is not a member. The?committee bears sole responsibility for prioritizing patients for medical evacuation.

The prioritized patient list is shared by the Palestinian Authority (PA) with Israeli and Egyptian authorities for security clearance. Once clearance is granted, the PA shares the security-cleared list with?WHO.

Upon receiving the cleared patient list, WHO’s role is limited to the following:

• Contacting patients?to communicate?logistics,?including collection point locations and transport arrangements?to?the?designated departure health facility,?and to confirm any medical needs during transfer.
• Ensuring the designated health facility is well-prepared with medical and psychosocial support, food, water and sanitation services, and disability-accessible facilities.
• Coordinating all logistical?and medical?arrangements?for transfer to the crossing?from the designated health facility.

On medical evacuation days, patients are transported via appropriate medical vehicles provided by WHO’s partners to designated collection points, then onward by WHO-contracted buses to the departure health facility. From there, the evacuation convoy departs to the Rafah crossing, passing areas outside the established ceasefire zone within Gaza.

Patients are received at the Rafah crossing by the PA,?which?verifies?identities alongside the European Union Border Assistance Mission, before?the patients?cross to the Egyptian side.

WHO?is?committed to transparency and to fulfilling its mandate?in all its?operational areas, including?to support the health system?in the occupied Palestinian territory.?WHO calls for a safe,?predictable?and enabling operating environment that allows delivery of health and humanitarian assistance?at scale, in line with humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law.