World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency supported a medical evacuation of five patients from Gaza to Egypt via the Rafah crossing on Monday, marking the first such operation through the route since March 2025.

In a post on social media platform X on Tuesday, Ghebreyesus said the WHO and its partners helped evacuate five patients and seven companions to Egypt, adding that the organization’s role focused on ensuring the safe transport of patients from inside Gaza to the Rafah border crossing.

He stressed the urgent need for rehabilitation and reconstruction of Gaza’s health system to reduce reliance on medical evacuations, after more than two years of sustained attacks on the enclave.