Doctors Without Borders calls for urgent medical evacuations from Gaza

A Doctors Without Borders official has pleaded for countries to open their doors to tens of thousands of Gazans in dire need of medical evacuation, warning that hundreds have already died waiting.

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"The need is really huge," said Dr Hani Isleem, who coordinates medical evacuations from Gaza for the charity, known by its French abbreviation MSF.

The numbers taken in by countries so far remain "just a drop in the ocean", Dr Isleem told AFP news agency in an interview on Dec 2.

The World Health Organization estimates that more than 8,000 patients have been evacuated out of Gaza since the war erupted following Hamas' attack inside Israel on Oct 7, 2023.

It says more than 16,500 patients still need treatment outside of the Palestinian territory.

Speaking at the MSF headquarters in Geneva after accompanying seriously ill and injured Gaza children to Switzerland for treatment, Dr Isleem said that number was based only on patients registered for medical evacuation, and the true figure was higher.

"Our estimate is that it is three to four times that number," he said.

To date, more than 30 countries have taken in patients, but only a handful, including Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, have accepted large numbers.