GENEVA, January 31, 2025 (WAFA) – The World Health Organization Friday said that around 14,000 Palestinians need specialized care outside the war-torn Gaza Strip.

“Amid reports that 2,500 children at risk of imminent death in Gaza need immediate medical evacuation, between 12,000 and 14,000 people need specialized care outside the enclave,” WHO Representative in the Palestinian territories, Rik Peeperkorn, said.

He stressed that health needs in the densely populated strip were "immense", amid the "large-scale devastation of the health system".

Peeperkorn added that only 18 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are even partly functional, with just one-third – 57 of the 142 primary healthcare centres and 11 field hospitals – also partly functional.

“The ceasefire is good news for our scale up of aid,” said Peeperkorn. “As we know, the influx in the north has increased health needs. So, 450,000 people have crossed into northern Gaza [and] there's only there 10 partially functional hospitals in Gaza City and one minimally functional hospital in north Gaza.”

He revealed that the WHO was planning to expand al-Shifa Hospital by adding 200 beds, while it was conducting an assessment to carry out renovation work for the Indonesian Hospital and install a prefabricated health facility in the city of Gaza.

K.F.