12 patients from Gaza evacuated to Europe for medical care

A total of 12 patients from Gaza have been evacuated to Europe for medical care, the World Health Organization's (WHO) director-general said Thursday.

Accompanied by 35 family members, the patients from Gaza reached Albania, France, Norway, and Romania overnight to receive specialized medical care there, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X, thanking the countries and EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid for their cooperation and support.

"The ceasefire deal offers an opportunity for expedited medical evacuations for over 12,000 people, including many children, who urgently need lifesaving care outside Gaza," he noted.

Ghebreyesus added: "We hope the deal will be sustained because lives depend on it. Peace is the best medicine!"

Qatari Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani announced late Wednesday evening that mediators had reached a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip and that its implementation would begin this Sunday.

The announcement comes on the 467th day of Israel's genocide in Gaza, which has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children.

The war has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.

In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.