The daughter of Mohammed Zaghra holds her father's release form of her father, as she sits by his remains in Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, on Oct. 18, 2025. (Credit: Omar al-Qattaa/AFP)
The World Health Organization led the medical evacuation of 41 critical patients and 145 companions out of Gaza, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.
Around 15,000 Gaza patients are awaiting evacuation, Tedros wrote in a post on X.
"We continue to call on countries to show their solidarity and for all routes to be opened to expedite the medical evacuation," the WHO chief said.
Many suffer from injuries sustained during the two-year-long Israeli war in Gaza. Others have chronic conditions such as cancer and heart disease that the enclave's health system, decimated by Israeli attacks, cannot cope with.
During the war, more than 7,000 patients were evacuated from Gaza, with Egypt taking more than half of them.
The rate of transfers slowed to a trickle when Israel seized control of the Rafah border crossing and closed it in May 2024. Since a previous cease-fire collapsed in March, less than four patients have exited Gaza a day.
Some 15,600 Gazan patients await evacuation, including 3,800 children, the WHO previously said.
The Rafah crossing, previously used for patients to exit via Egypt, remains closed by Israel for transfers.
Hundreds have died waiting, medical groups and Palestinian health authorities say. The WHO, which took over management of the process last year, said 740 people, including 137 children on the list, were killed by Israel's blockade on allowing transfers since July 2024.
COGAT, the arm of the Israeli military that oversees aid flows into Gaza, has previously said that approvals are subject to security checks.
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