Some 9,000 patients from the Gaza Strip must be evacuated urgently for treatment as there are only 10 hospitals left in the Palestinian territory which are barely functioning, the head of the WHO warned today.

“With only 10 hospitals functioning as a minimum across #Gaza, thousands of patients continue to lack healthcare,” warned World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Before the war, Gaza had 36 hospitals, according to WHO figures.

“Approximately 9,000 patients need to be urgently transported abroad for vital health services, including treatment for cancer, shelling injuries, dialysis and other chronic illnesses,” he said.

This number is 1,000 more than the latest WHO census in early March.

Tedros said that so far “more than 3,400 patients have been referred abroad through Rafa, including 2,198 injured and 1,215 chronically ill.” “But many more must be removed. We urge Israel to speed up approvals for removals so that critically ill patients can be treated. Every moment counts,” he said.

Before the war began on October 7, 50 to 100 patients a day were being referred from Gaza to East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Half of them were being treated for cancer.