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STORY: WHO / GAZA PATIENTS EVACUATION
TRT: 11:48
SOURCE: WHO
RESTICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT WHO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 13 AND 14 MAY 2025, GAZA
THE FOLLOWING VIDEO INCLUDES CONTENT WHICH SOME VIEWERS MIGHT FIND DISTRESSING.
13 MAY 2025, EUROPEAN GAZA HOSPITAL, RAFAH
1. Various shots, patients and companions arriving at the hospital waiting for the evacuation to begin; WHO assisting and talking to patients and companions
2. Various shots, Malak Al-Salihiya on a stretcher, being unloaded from an ambulance and being taken into the hospital.
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Samah Subhiya, Mother patient Malak Al-Salihiya
“What happened is that my husband and the girls were sleeping in the tent, while me and their brother are sleeping somewhere else by chance, then I received a phone call from my brother telling me; sister please come to the hospital, I said to him that I am sure that my girls are ripped apart, he said, no Malak is fine, don’t worry, but you must come to the hospital. I knew something was wrong so I asked him about my other two daughters, and he said they are looking for them but they have not found them yet. It turned out that he’s lying to me and that my eldest daughter had died.”
4. Various shots, Malak Al-Salihiya on a stretcher, in the hospital, showing her injuries and an external fixation device on her left arm
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Samah Subhiya, Mother Patient Malak Al-Salihiya:
“When Malak came out of surgery, her whole body was wrapped in gauze, I was not even able to know what her injury was. My other girl was in the admission and reception department. Her condition was moderate, her wounds were in the legs and she had platinum or something like that, also Malak had platinum in her hand. Their father was in the admission and reception department but they suddenly moved him to the intensive care unit. And as I have previously told you, my eldest is in the morgue, I didn’t get the chance to see her, and I stayed with my daughters until the morning.”
6. Various shots, Malak Al-Salihiya on a stretcher, in the hospital, showing her injuries and an external fixation device on her left arm
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Samah Subhiya, mother patient Malak Al-Salihiya
“Before the war, her life was amazing. She would go out and play like a butterfly. She was like a butterfly. Everyone in the camp loved her. She would go out and play and run. Yes, it's true that our lives weren't perfect, but they were happy, and that was fine.”
8. Various shots, Malak Al-Salihiya’s sister sitting on a hospital bed, alongside a crutch, standing up and talking to her family.
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Samah Subhiya, mother patient Malak Al-Salihiya:
“All I wish for is for my daughter to stand on her feet, walk, and for her psychological state to improve a little. Her hand to move because many people have told me that her hand will be amputated. There is a strong possibility of amputation, but God willing, we will be able to save her. And for Malak to return to being the Malak I have known for a long time.”
10. Various shots, Mohsen Salem lying on a hospital bed.
11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nahed Mohamed Salem, grandmother of Mohsen Salem
“He's a ten-year-old boy. He was playing outside, when our neighbour's house was hit, the concrete and the rubble fell on his entire leg from top to bottom.”
12. Various shots, Mohsen Salem lying on a hospital bed, with his grandmother Nahed Mohamed Salem, talking to WHO team member
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nahed Mohamed Salem, grandmother of Mohsen Salem
“It was the war period. Doctors were trying, to be honest, they didn't spare any effort. They were trying a lot with him. They decided to operate on him until we ended up here. And then, during the course of his treatment, they hit the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital at that time.”
14. Various shots, Mohsen Salem lying on a hospital bed, with his grandmother Nahed Mohamed Salem, talking to WHO team member
15. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nahed Mohamed Salem, grandmother of Mohsen Salem
“His health condition deteriorated, his leg kept bleeding out, and that required a blood unit every two days or every day. His blood type is rare, it’s O negative, and his injury happened during a very crucial time where hospitals were very busy, and crowded, therefore his health condition reached this crucial state.
16. Close up, a phone screen showing the damage to Mohsen Salem’s leg (GRAPHIC)
17. Med shot, Mohsen looking at the camera
18. Close up, a phone screen of Mohsen after surgery
19. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nahed Mohamed Salem, grandmother of Mohsen Salem:
“Tomorrow by God’s will we are heading out through Karem Abu Salem crossing boarder to Turkey. We thank everyone, and we thank Turkey for hosting us, God willing they will live up to the expectations. May God grant him the treatment he needs, and may everyone receive treatment as well.”
20. Various shots, patient Yousef Saliha, his mother Safaa and sister looking at a phone screen.
21. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Safaa Saliha, mother patient Yousef Saliha:
“My son complained of some pain in his eyes, difficulty seeing and dizziness. When we did an examination, we discovered that there was a cyst between the skull and the brain, and the cyst was large in diameter, about 7 cm. An operation was performed to remove this tumor by the doctors present here, may God bless them. They took samples from these cysts to the labs and analyzed them. When the tests were done, they discovered that this was a type of cancer. By God’s will it will be a benign kind of cancer.”
22. Med shot, patient Yousef Saliha and his sister on his lap.
23. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Safaa Saliha, mother patient Yousef Saliha:
“When the WHO contacted us to inform us that the file was accepted and that the travel procedures were underway, I felt very happy, and my son was happy, even his siblings were happy too, hoping that he’s not going to suffer. God willing, he will find a treatment opportunity.”
24. Various shots, footage of reaction to attack
25. Med shot, patient Yousef Saliha sitting on a chair.
26. SOUNDUP (Arabic) Safaa Saliha, mother patient Yousef Saliha After a period of time, and when his vision worsened, I took him to the doctors, and they required different types of X-Rays; an MRI
27. Off camera, explosions heard off camera, as patients, companions and our cameraman react. Screams as men, women and children run away.
28. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Basel, WHO Evacuation coordinator:
“Unfortunately, the street the convoy normally exits from is no longer suitable for the convoy's passage. Some buses were damaged and one bus was completely destroyed. Thank God, all patients are safe, and their companions are all in good condition. We hope that the medical evacuation will go smoothly, God willing.”
29. Wide shot, showing a damaged road
30. Wide shot, showing one of the evacuation buses destroyed.
31. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohammed Hassan Bashir, father of evacuation patient:
“While we were in the hospital, a large number of missiles were dropped very close to our location, causing panic and fear, especially among the children and women. Shrapnel and dust flew toward us, and the situation was difficult because of the rapid shelling. This led to fear among the children and women and caused panic among the patients and their companions traveling abroad.”
14 MAY 2025, EUROPEAN GAZA HOSPITAL, RAFAH
32. Wide shot, showing WHO team member briefing patients and companions
33. Med shot, WHO team member playing with a baby
34. Med shot, WHO team members walking towards the evacuation convoy
35. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Luca Pigozzi, Emergency Medical Team (EMT) Coordinator, WHO:
“We are at the moment at the European Gaza Hospital, today we are aiming at conducting a big medical evacuation of more than 300 people to European Union countries and the Emirates.”
36. Various shots, patients and companions being escorted to the convoy buses and ambulances, having paperwork checked before boarding.
37. Med shot, Yousef Saliha waiting to board a yellow bus
38. Med shot, Malak Al-Salihiya on an ambulance, being given a pillow by CADUS EMTs
39. Med shot, Mohsen Salem on board an ambulance waiting to depart
40. Med shot, the convoy departing through the hospital gates
European Gaza Hospital — where 12 WHO staff and 284 patients and companions were gathered for a pre-coordinated medical evacuation — was attacked on Tuesday (13 May) causing death and distress. While none in the evacuation group were harmed, the attack reportedly resulted in six deaths and 40 injuries on the hospital premises.
Despite the high-risk conditions, WHO successfully carried out the medical evacuation today to Italy, Turkey, Romania, Jordan, and the UAE via the Kerem Shalom crossing. This morning, renewed hostilities near the hospital terrified staff and patients and obstructed access to the facility. Hospitals must be safeguarded so they can serve their life-saving function. Hospitals must be protected. They must never be militarized or targeted.
