World Health Organization: 15,000 in Gaza need medical evacuation

The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced that more than 15,600 people in the Gaza Strip, including 3,800 children, are in urgent need of medical evacuation for specialized care. These statements come amid the dire humanitarian conditions faced by the region due to the ongoing Israeli aggression.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza praised the United Nations' decision to declare famine in the region, despite the delay in this decision. The ministry confirmed that this declaration reflects the starvation policy implemented by the occupying state alongside its commission of genocide against the Palestinians for nearly 23 months.

In a post on the 'X' platform, Ghebreyesus called for an increase in evacuation operations from Gaza and for facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid. He emphasized the necessity of a ceasefire in Gaza to save lives and provide life-saving care.

The report from the 'Global Initiative on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification' (IPC) confirmed that famine has been established in the Gaza governorate, and it is expected to extend to the Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis governorates by the end of next September. This report provoked angry reactions from the occupying state, which attacked its content.

The Israeli army claimed that the report contains substantial gaps in facts and methodology, accusing it of relying on biased information. However, the report is based on data from 21 prominent international organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme.

Since March 2, the occupying state has closed all crossings leading to Gaza, preventing any humanitarian aid from entering. This blockade has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the region, with relief trucks piling up at the border without sufficient quantities being allowed in to meet the needs of the population.

Since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on October 7, 2023, the Gaza Strip has been subjected to genocidal operations including killing, starvation, and destruction. These operations have resulted in the martyrdom of 62,622 Palestinians, with 157,673 others injured, most of whom are children and women, in addition to more than 9,000 missing and hundreds of thousands displaced.