WHO / GAZA MEDICAL EVACUATIONS
STORY: WHO / GAZA MEDICAL EVACUATIONS
TRT: 06:20
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT WHO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGES: ARABIC / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 1 FEBRUARY 2025, NASSER MEDICAL COMPLEX, KHAN YOUNIS, RAFAH CROSSING, RAFAH, GAZA STRIP
01 FEBRUARY 2025, NASSER MEDICAL COMPLEX, KHAN YOUNIS
1. Wide shot, hospital building
2. Various shots, patients and companions arriving at the complex, sitting with other evacuees, waiting to board buses, with the WHO team checking paperwork and talking to evacuees
3. Various shots, patient Abdul and his brothers, and mother Al-Ata
4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Al-Ata Al-Najjar, mother of patient Abdul:
“My son is sick. Doctors are suspecting Cystic fibrosis in the lungs. He also has Ventricular Septal defect (VSD).”
5. Med shot, Abdul with his mother Al-Ata
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Al-Ata Al-Najjar, mother of patient Abdul:
“I was very happy when I received the call yesterday about traveling for treatment, I felt relieved that my child, god willing, will get his treatment.”
7. Med shot, patient Alin with her mother
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) father of patient Alin Ahmed Khalil:
“We have been trying to travel out for treatment since the border was closed, and by God’s will, today we will be able travel out for the child’s treatment.”
9. Med shot, patient Alin on her father’s lap
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) father of patient Alin Ahmed Khalil:
“The feeling I’ll get when I see that my daughter has recovered her sight? I’ll be the happiest person in the world.”
11. Wide shot, ambulance outside the hospital
12. Med shot, Mai Ghani Sammour talking to a WHO team member
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mai Ghani Sammour, Mother of patient Moatasem Billah:
“Rami Nabil Sammour is a child suffering from a rare and dangerous immune disease called. Toxic epidermal necrolysis. It is an autoimmune disease that attacks the body and affects one in every 2 million people worldwide.”
14. Med shot, Moatasem in the foreground and his mother Mai in the background
15. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mai Ghani Sammour. Mother of patient Moatasem Billah:
“The moment we were informed that we need to head to Rafah crossing border to bring Moatsem out for treatment, the feelings were overwhelming, and we felt so happy.”
16. Wide shot, ambulance door being closed
17. Various shots, patients and companions boarding awaiting buses, with WHO team double checking their paperwork before boarding, people waving from outside
18. Med shot, Abdul on the bus with his mother Al-Ata
19. Various shots, convoy leaving the complex, patients and companions on board, and busy roads near the hospital complex
20. Wide shot, WHO and partners in discussion on the side of the road
21. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative, occupied Palestinian territory:
“WHO estimates that between 12,000 and 14,000 critical patients need to be medevaced outside Gaza. So, this is just the start. We have to really…we have to speed up the pace. What we need is medical corridors now outside Gaza to ensure that those 12,000 to 14,000 patients who are in need for the treatment they need and deserve, that they get out.”
01 FEBRUARY 2025, RAFAH CROSSING, RAFAH
22. Various shots, convoy on the road near the crossing, debris and remnants of buildings along the way
23. Various shots, convoy near the crossing, an ambulance backing up to the crossing point, whilst other patients and companions alight the buses and walk the final distance to the crossing point
24. SOUNDBITE (English) Bisma, Communications Officer, occupied Palestinian territory:
“We have just concluded today's medical evacuation, where 37 patients, along with 39 companions, were evacuated to Egypt via Rafah, where they will continue receiving specialized care.”
24. Med shot, patient in a wheelchair being assisted by one of the WHO convoy team towards the crossing point
With support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, 37 patients — 34 children and 3 adults — and 39 companions Saturday (1 Feb) crossed out of Gaza via Rafah to continue receiving care in Egypt.
WHO expressed its gratitude to the government of Egypt for their continued support and for providing specialized care to patients from Gaza.
WHO urged for medical evacuations to be expedited through all possible routes. Thousands of lives depend on it, the World Health Organization said.