The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said some 9,000 patients in the Gaza Strip require evacuation for emergency care, with the Palestinian territory down to just 10 barely functioning hospitals, AFP reports

“With only 10 hospitals minimally functional across the whole of Gaza, thousands of patients continue to be deprived of health care,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X.

“Around 9,000 patients urgently need to be evacuated abroad for lifesaving health services, including treatment for cancer, injuries from bombardments, kidney dialysis and other chronic conditions.”

Tedros said that “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.”