GENEVA — The World Health Organization convened an emergency briefing on Tuesday to address the accelerating humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where Palestinian health officials report that between five and seven patients are dying every day due to inability to access critical medical treatment abroad. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the situation 'a preventable mass casualty event' and demanded the immediate reopening of safe medical evacuation routes.
The briefing, attended by representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and several European Union member states, focused on the near-total breakdown of the medical referral system that previously allowed critically ill Gazans — including cancer patients, dialysis-dependent individuals, and trauma victims — to receive care in regional hospitals. Officials said the backlog of pending medical evacuations now exceeds 10,000 cases, with dozens of patients deteriorating beyond treatable conditions each week.
Egyptian health authorities confirmed Tuesday that their side of the Rafah crossing remains technically capable of processing medical transfers, but that coordination with Israeli authorities has stalled repeatedly over security vetting procedures. Cairo indicated it had submitted a new protocol proposal to Jerusalem through Qatari mediators, though no response had been received as of Tuesday morning.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs issued a parallel statement describing Gaza's remaining hospital infrastructure as operating at 'catastrophic deficit,' with fuel shortages threatening the last functioning surgical units in the southern and central zones. OCHA warned that without resupply within 72 hours, at least three major hospitals risked complete shutdown.
Several European governments, including France, Spain, and Belgium, issued joint diplomatic notes to Israel on Tuesday urging immediate facilitation of medical evacuations, warning that continued obstruction could trigger further bilateral measures. Israel's foreign ministry had not responded publicly by midday, though a senior official told Reuters that security screening of evacuees remained a 'non-negotiable' precondition for any expanded corridor arrangement.