BRUSSELS,1st October, 2024 (WAM) – The EU coordinated the first medical evacuation operation directly from Gaza, transferring eight patients in urgent need of care to Romania, along with 24 accompanying relatives.
The European Commission said this is the fifth operation conducted via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, following the activation of the Mechanism by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to medically evacuate Palestinian patients from Gaza to Europe.
The operation was conducted in close collaboration with Romania, WHO and Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). The patients have been safely transported to hospitals in Bucharest, where they will receive the necessary medical treatment. So far, 45 critically ill patients have been evacuated through the Mechanism overall, to Spain, Belgium and Italy.