The European Union is urging its member states to accept patients from Gaza who are in urgent need of medical evacuation. The call comes in response to a request from the World Health Organization for assistance under the bloc’s Civil Protection Mechanism. The WHO has identified 109 severely ill and injured children in Gaza who need urgent treatment, as hospitals in the enclave are under immense pressure due to the ongoing conflict. The EU is asking national governments to show support and solidarity by coordinating efforts to evacuate these patients to hospitals outside of Gaza where they can receive the necessary life-saving treatment.
Since the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza, the EU has provided €193 million in humanitarian aid to Palestinians and established an air bridge operation to deliver critical humanitarian supplies. Despite these efforts, over 35,000 Palestinians have lost their lives in the conflict, and seriously ill and injured civilians are trapped in the besieged enclave. The proposed evacuations under the Medevac scheme would be the first of their kind and aim to use the experience gained from previous evacuation operations, such as those in war-torn Ukraine, to support the most vulnerable in Gaza. The EU is calling for a collective European effort to overcome the practical and administrative complexities of the evacuation operation.
The situation in Gaza is dire, with only 10 minimally functional hospitals remaining in the densely populated enclave where two million Palestinians reside. Prior to the war, there were 36 hospitals, many of which have been destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. The WHO has identified 9,000 patients who urgently need to be taken abroad for lifesaving treatment, with 109 of them included on a list shared with EU member states and partner countries. The EU commissioners are emphasizing the need for swift action to ensure the safe evacuation of these patients and are appealing to the international community to provide the necessary logistical, medical, and financial support for the operation.
The letter from the EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides and crisis management commissioner Janez Lenarčič highlights the urgency of the situation in Gaza and the critical need for international support to evacuate severely ill and injured patients to hospitals outside of the enclave. The EU has committed significant humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, but the escalating conflict has placed immense pressure on the already strained healthcare system in the enclave. The appeals for assistance are part of a broader effort to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and provide essential medical care to those most in need. The EU is calling on its member states to indicate their readiness to accept patients from Gaza and participate in a coordinated effort to facilitate the evacuation of those at risk of losing their lives due to the lack of medical treatment in the enclave.
In response to the WHO’s formal request for assistance, the EU is mobilizing its resources and expertise to support the evacuation of severely ill and injured patients from Gaza. The proposed evacuations would be carried out under the Medevac scheme, utilizing the experience gained from previous evacuation operations to ensure the safe transport of patients to hospitals where they can receive life-saving treatment. The EU is emphasizing the need for a collective European effort to overcome the challenges of organizing such a large-scale evacuation operation and is calling on member states to demonstrate their support and solidarity with the people of Gaza. The focus is on providing immediate medical assistance to those in critical condition and addressing the urgent healthcare needs of the most vulnerable individuals affected by the conflict in Gaza.
