Falcon powers – Brussels has issued a call to the health and civil protection ministers of the European Union member states, urging them to declare their “readiness” to receive wounded individuals from the Gaza Strip. This call comes after the World Health Organization stated that 9,000 Palestinians in Gaza are in urgent need of medical evacuation due to the devastation caused by the war.
In a letter obtained by EuroNews, EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides and Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič requested national governments to accept individuals suffering from serious injuries and chronic illnesses, whose lives are at risk due to the overwhelming pressure on hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
This request follows the official appeal made by the World Health Organization for assistance through the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism – the emergency response system. The EU was provided with a list of 109 children with serious illnesses and injured individuals in need of urgent treatment.
The letter stated, “It is important that we act swiftly to ensure the safe evacuation of these patients to hospitals outside Gaza where they can receive the life-saving treatment they urgently need.”
Furthermore, it added, “This requires a coordinated effort involving the international community, including European countries, to provide the necessary logistical, medical, and financial support.”
The commissioners called on governments to demonstrate “support and solidarity.” Since the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza on October 7th, the European Union has allocated €193 million in humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
They have also established an airlift operation that has delivered over 2,000 tons of vital humanitarian goods and facilitated the activation of a maritime corridor connecting Gaza to Cyprus.
Despite humanitarian efforts, over 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, and civilians with serious illnesses remain trapped in the besieged territory.
The upcoming evacuations will be the first of its kind and will be conducted within the framework of the Medical Evacuation Plan, which was created for the first time to facilitate the medical evacuation of patients from war-torn Ukraine to hospitals across the bloc.
The commissioners state that the EU executive authority and member states have gained a “wealth of experience” from the evacuation operations in Ukraine, which can be utilized to support the most vulnerable groups in Gaza.
The letter concludes, “While we acknowledge the practical and administrative complexities of this operation, we are convinced that they can be overcome through collective European efforts.”
