WHO helps evacuate 15 war-wounded Gaza children to Spain for urgent medical care

The WHO said on Wednesday that 15 children and one adult from Gaza have been evacuated from Egypt to Spain for further medical treatment. The kids aged between three and 17 years, plus the mother of one of the kids, will receive appropriate medical attention in Spain. 

 “These very sick children will be getting the care they need thanks to cooperation between several partners and countries,” WHO’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. 

 The children had been admitted to an Egyptian hospital for several months after being scooped from Gaza. The WHO noted that they are among thousands of people from Gaza who need referral care in other countries of Palestine. 

 Tedros thanked Egypt and Spain for supporting and facilitating the process. He urges other countries capable of having medical facilities to take these people caught in this war. The children, along with the 25 accompanying Family members and the other caregivers, were in Egypt prior to May 6, when the Rafah crossing was shut, ultimately ending further exodus operations. 

 Since the start of the Gaza war after the October 7 twin attack on south Israel by Hamas, some 2000-5000 persons have had to be taken to other centers for treatment. Thus, more than 80% of these patients have provided care from Egypt, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. 

The WHO statement underlined the fact that at least 10,000 more people are still waiting for medical rescue from Gaza, with updated statistics presenting the figure as high as 14,000. The regional director for the eastern Mediterranean of WHO, Hanan Balkhy, affirmed that the children evacuated only account for a small percentage of all those who require it. 

 The WHO has insisted on multiple MECS from Gaza through the Rafah and Kerem Shalom. The organization also emphasized the need for medical evacuations from Gaza to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, where the hospitals are prepared to accommodate patients. 

 The WHO said patients need to be enabled to move to Egypt and Jordan and from one state to another if necessary. 

 Tedros thanked for the solidarity in this case as ‘’a bright spot in a war that had so many moments of tragedy.’’. He said that it should continue to be a norm that severely ill people should gain needed medical care at any time in the world, regardless of borders.