Over 12 000 Gazans desperately need to be evacuated for medical care, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said in a plea to countries around the world to “open their doors” to evacuees.
“As the genocide in Gaza continues, more than 56 000 people have been killed and around 125 000 wounded since 7 October 2023,” the aid organisation said, adding that the thousands of people requiring specialised medical care are unable to access services because Gaza’s healthcare system has been “decimated by Israeli forces.”
“To make matters worse, Israel has reduced medical evacuations to a minimum,” it continued.
MSF said that medical evacuations must be authorised by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the body managing Israeli governmental activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, but that decisions are “often arbitrary and opaque” with critical cases “either delayed or denied, regardless of medical urgency.” There are also a limited number of countries willing to accept evacuees.
Because of these restrictions, MSF has so far only managed to evacuate 22 patients, to countries including Australia, Canada, France, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Hani Isleem, MSF project coordinator for …
