A woman injured during an Israeli operation in the Jabalia refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip is assisted as she arrives at Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City on October 21, 2024. — AFP
The head of the World Health Organisation's Europe branch announced on Monday that up to 1,000 women and children requiring medical care will soon be evacuated from Gaza to Europe. Israel, which is blockading the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, is committed to facilitating 1,000 additional medical evacuations to the European Union in the coming months, according to Hans Kluge. These evacuations will be coordinated by the WHO and the European countries involved.
On Thursday, UN investigators accused Israel of deliberately targeting health facilities in Gaza, killing and torturing medical personnel, labeling these actions as 'crimes against humanity'. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, stated in May that around 10,000 people in Gaza urgently needed medical evacuation.
Since the latest conflict began in October 2023, the WHO Europe has already facilitated 600 medical evacuations from Gaza to seven European countries. Kluge emphasized the importance of maintaining dialogue, noting that similar efforts were underway in Ukraine. He highlighted the distribution of HIV-Aids medications to 15,000 patients in the Donbas region, stressing the need to avoid politicizing health issues.
Kluge also expressed concern about the upcoming winter in Ukraine, where 80% of the civilian energy grid is damaged or destroyed. Despite the strain on Europe's healthcare systems, the 53 countries in the WHO European region have come together to prepare for future pandemics. Kluge advocates for a global pandemic treaty and urges member countries to manage and prepare for future crises while continuing essential health services.
The pandemic has significantly impacted European health systems, setting back progress on non-communicable diseases by two years. Kluge aims to address this and other issues, such as the mental health of young people and growing inequalities between men and women, during his next term.
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