{"id":316905,"date":"2026-04-10T13:44:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T17:44:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=316905"},"modified":"2026-04-15T13:46:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T17:46:33","slug":"statement-on-whos-role-in-medical-evacuation-from-gaza-via-the-rafah-crossing-to-egypt","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/statement-on-whos-role-in-medical-evacuation-from-gaza-via-the-rafah-crossing-to-egypt\/","title":{"rendered":"Statement on WHO’s role in medical evacuation from Gaza via the Rafah crossing to Egypt"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

10 April 2026<\/p>\n

Under difficult circumstances, WHO continues to\u00a0work for\u00a0the health\u00a0of the people\u00a0in the occupied Palestinian territory, including\u00a0supporting the Ministry of Health\u00a0(MoH)\u00a0with\u00a0medical evacuations.\u00a0These may resume on 12 April, after\u00a0WHO had to suspend its support\u00a0to\u00a0medical evacuations, following\u00a0a security incident in which a person contracted to provide services to WHO in Gaza was killed.\u00a0With commitments now received from relevant parties to ensure the safety of patients and staff, WHO\u00a0stands ready\u00a0to resume\u00a0its\u00a0support\u00a0to the operation.<\/p>\n

Medical\u00a0evacuations follow pre-established procedures<\/a>.<\/p>\n

WHO acknowledges that some social media posts raise concerns about how medical evacuations are conducted.\u00a0WHO takes\u00a0all such concerns seriously and is looking into the matter.<\/p>\n

WHO’s role\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0MoH-led medical\u00a0evacuations\u00a0is 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.\u00a0WHO\u00a0or its staff are\u00a0not involved in, and have\u00a0no influence over, the prioritization of patients approved to exit Gaza for medical evacuation.<\/p>\n

Patients are referred for medical evacuation by their treating physician, who issues a referral form that is\u00a0submitted\u00a0by the hospital to the Referral Committee. This\u00a0body\u00a0is\u00a0composed of local health officials from Gaza. WHO is not a member. The\u00a0committee bears sole responsibility for prioritizing patients for medical evacuation.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0WHO.<\/p>\n

Upon receiving the cleared patient list, WHO’s role is limited to the following:<\/p>\n