AhlulBayt News Agency: Doctors Without Borders has called on countries to open their doors to tens of thousands of Gaza residents who are urgently in need of medical evacuation, warning that hundreds have lost their lives while waiting for treatment.
In an interview on Tuesday evening, the organization's medical evacuation coordinator, Hani Islim, said that the numbers accepted by countries so far "are just a drop in the ocean," pointing out that the actual number of people needing medical evacuation is three to four times higher than the registered patients.
The World Health Organization estimates that more than 8,000 patients have been evacuated since the outbreak of war on October 7, 2023, while over 16,500 patients still need treatment outside the Gaza Strip, including children suffering from serious diseases such as cancer and congenital heart diseases.
Islim noted that the pace of evacuation has slowed since the closure of the Rafah crossing to Egypt in May 2024, with the average number of patients leaving each month dropping from 1,500 to around 70.
He added that the lengthy and politicized process of accepting patients from countries, along with most countries focusing on children and ignoring adults, is exacerbating the suffering of thousands of patients who need urgent treatment.
Islim urged governments to "stop treating medical evacuation as a shopping list" and focus on real needs and saving human lives, stressing that the slowdown in the evacuation process threatens the lives of many and increases the number of deaths while waiting for treatment.
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