Gaza: Which countries are hosting patients evacuated by the WHO?

Since October 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) has evacuated more than 7,600 patients from Gaza who require specialized emergency care abroad. Two-thirds of them are children. An additional 15,600 sick or injured people still need to be evacuated.

Following the deadly attack on 7 October 2023, carried out by Hamas in Israel, the occupied Palestinian territory has endured two years of conflict, resulting in 68,234 deaths and 170,373 people injured as of 22 October 2025. Only 13 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals were still functioning in September.

Medical evacuations carried out by the WHO are provided free of charge. Host countries cover all healthcare costs, as well as accommodation and basic supplies for those accompanying minors (at least one parent or guardian).

In addition, these operations are only carried out if security conditions permit. They benefit
severely ill or injured patients who need specialized life-saving care unavailable in the Gaza Strip and who have been identified by a physician at a public hospital.

Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar: the main host countries

These evacuations, coordinated by the WHO and its network of partners, remain challenging to coordinate. They slowed down after the Rafah border crossing into Egypt was closed in May 2024. In 2025, the number of evacuations was cut by half. Between the ceasefire of 19 January 2025 and 10 September 2025, no more than 2,266 people were evacuated, compared to 4,947 between October 2023 and 6 May 2024. The ceasefire, which came into effect on 10 October, should allow evacuations to resume at a more sustained pace.

As of 10 September, most Gazans transferred abroad were hosted by Egypt (3,995), the United Arab Emirates (1,450), Qatar (970), and Turkey (437). The remaining patients were distributed, depending on available capacity, among EU countries (299), Jordan (253), Algeria (136), Tunisia (73), Oman (56), and the United States (48).

More than 1,000 patients in the WHO European Region, including 397 in the EU 

According to more recent figures, published on 28 October, the WHO has evacuated more than 1,000 people from the Gaza Strip to the WHO European Region— a territory broader than the European Union (EU). Turkey, Italy, and Uzbekistan have received the most significant numbers of Palestinian patients, followed by Spain and the United Kingdom (see table).

In total, EU countries now host 397 patients from Gaza who the WHO evacuated.

Total evacuations in 17 countries in the WHO European Region

Source: WHO

15,600 people, including 3,800 children, still need to be urgently evacuated from Gaza

“I am deeply moved that more than 1,000 sick and injured patients from Gaza – most of them children – were evacuated to 17 countries in the European Region for urgent treatment or surgery over the past year,” said WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge.

“[…] More than 15,000 people – including nearly 4,000 children – still need urgent evacuation as Gaza’s health system remains on its knees.”

“Health should never be a target of war”

The WHO continues to advocate for increased evacuations, but this depends on host countries accepting a larger number of patients and on the ability to ensure safe transfer arrangements.

The WHO is also calling for the expansion of evacuation corridors, including to the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The WHO Regional Director for Europe says, “It’s not too late to help. Every life saved is a victory for humanity. WHO and partners are continuing medical evacuations, delivering emergency supplies, and supporting mental health and rehabilitation for survivors. Health should never be a target of war – it must be a part of the path to peace.”

USEFUL LINKS:

• The UN and the crisis in the Middle East: What you need to know
• Famine declared for the first time in Gaza
• “We cannot abandon the people of Gaza”: heads of UN agencies, partners