Around 9,000 Gaza patients urgently need evacuation, WHO says

World Health Organisation director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said around 9,000 patients urgently need to be evacuated from Gaza for lifesaving treatment abroad.

These patients are in need of treatment for wounds suffered in Israeli bombing, cancer treatment, kidneys dialysis, and treatments of other chronic conditions, Tedros wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"With only 10 hospitals minimally functional across the whole of Gaza, thousands of patients continue to be deprived of health care," he said.

"So far, over 3,400 patients have been referred abroad through Rafah, including 2,198 wounded and 1,215 ill. But many more need to be evacuated.

"We urge Israel to speed up approvals for evacuations, so that critical patients can be treated. Every moment matters."