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STORY: WHO / GAZA PATIENTS EVACUATION
TRT: 03:48
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT WHO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGES: ARABIC / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 26 MARCH 2026, KHAN YOUNIS, GAZA
1. Wide shot, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) Field Hospital with people walking and parked ambulance and bus
2. Wide shot, ambulances and UN vehicles
3. Med shot, people sitting on chairs waiting for the evacuation to begin
4. Med shot, WHO staff checking the documents of Madiha Yousef Al-Farah
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Madiha Yousef Al-Farah, mother of patient Ziad:
“As for Zaid, he had an injury that caused oxygen deficiency and air in his lungs. The doctors said he has fibroids on his lungs, and both his lungs are very damaged. He was admitted to the ICU 15 times; his condition was extremely critical.”
6. Various shots, phone screen showing patient Ziad receiving care
7. Various shots, patient Ziad sitting on a chair and drinking water
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Madiha Yousef Al-Farah, mother of patient Ziad:
“I am 20 days in the hospital and ten days at home. During those ten days at home, I am also going back and forth to get him nebulizer treatments and injections, that’s his current situation, and I wish to God to heal my son and that his treatment trip will be safe and successful.”
9. Med shot, WHO staff seated, talking to a seated man
10. Med shot, waiting ambulances from CADUS, German emergency response organization
11. Med shot, patients and companions walking towards the waiting ambulances and buses
12. Med shot, patient Ali Mustafa Al-Shatli on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Mustafa Al-Shatli, patient:
“I have swollen lymph nodes…cancer. I suffered a lot and was very tired of the crossing being closed. There is no treatment in Gaza, I have had some chemotherapy, but it was useless. I tried every treatment imaginable, but it didn't help. My condition worsened every day until I reached this point where I couldn't walk. My situation is extremely difficult.”
14. Med shot, cutaway of hands
15. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Mustafa Al-Shatli, patient:
“The doctor I was seeing told me there's no treatment for me in Gaza; my treatment is in Egypt.”
16. Med shot, cutaway of hands
17. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Mustafa Al-Shatli, patient:
“I was very happy when the WHO contacted me and told me that my name is at the crossing border and God willing you will be traveling within days.”
18. Wide shot, Ali Mustafa Al-Shatli lying back on a stretcher
19. Various shots, patients and companions walking towards and boarding a waiting bus
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Amira Al-Jamal, Medical evacuation officer, WHO:
“We are here at the PRCS Rehabilitation hospital to evacuate patients through Rafah. Today we are evacuating 47 patients and their companions all the way through Rafah Crossing to receive treatment in Egypt.”
21. Various shots, evacuation convoy departing the field hospital
On the 26th of March, WHO and partners supported a medical evacuation from Gaza via the Rafah crossing, transferring 17 patients to Egypt for care that is currently unavailable due to the widespread devastation of the health system. Thirty companions accompanied the group of patients.
This medical evacuation via the Rafah crossing was carried out after a brief pause between 23–25 March 2026. WHO suspended medical evacuations during this period as conditions were not in place to safely continue operations.
Medical evacuations help give people in need of urgent care a vital chance of survival. But for ensuring timely treatment for patients, medical evacuation requires sustained access through multiple crossing routes. At the moment, Rafah is the sole point of access to medical care outside of Gaza, as the Kerem Shalom crossing remains closed.
WHO appeals for medical evacuation to be facilitated via all possible routes.
WHO also calls for the urgent re-opening of the referral route to West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to reduce reliance on medical evacuations. At the same time, sustained investment is needed to ensure rapid scale-up of health services within Gaza.
Since October 2023, a total of 11,209 patients and 13,215 companions have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip to over 30 countries. But thousands of patients still await medical evacuation.
