Over 90 patients evacuated after Rafah crossing reopens: WHO

GENEVA

More than 90 patients have been evacuated since the reopening of the Rafah border crossing, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said Wednesday, welcoming the development but warning that medical needs in Gaza remain overwhelming.

Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, Teresa Zakaria said the reopening had "allowed over 90 patients already evacuated" and added: "This adds to the some 11,000 people who have been evacuated out of Gaza to multiple countries for very urgent and critical medical care."

Zakaria, in response to Anadolu's question, said the WHO is aiming for "more daily medical evacuations to take place in the coming days," noting that over 18,000 patients are still waiting to be transferred out of Gaza for "desperately" needed care. Many of them, she said, died while waiting.

She expressed hope that the reopening of the crossing would also allow much-needed humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, describing current assistance levels as "very insufficient" given the scale of needs and additional meteorological conditions affecting the population.

"We have all seen the living conditions of people inside Gaza remain extremely dire," Zakaria said, stressing health risks are still widespread. "What we have at the moment is largely insufficient to meet the needs there and to really bring back the dignity to the people of Gaza."

Israel reopened the Rafah crossing on Feb. 2 under extremely limited conditions, after occupying it in May 2024.