First five patients evacuated via Gaza’s Rafah crossing

The first five patients have been transferred through Gaza's Rafah crossing with Egypt, a World Health Organisation official said.

The crossing's reopening on Monday, though hailed as a step forward for the U.S.-backed, fragile ceasefire struck in October, was marred by delays with only a dozen returnees and a small group of medical evacuees crossing in each direction after more than 10 hours.

"On the second of February, WHO and partners supported the medical evacuation of five patients and seven companions to Egypt via the Rafah crossing," WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said on Tuesday.

"It was the first medical evacuation through this route since sometime in 2025," he said, referring to a limited number of evacuations during an early 2025 ceasefire.

Over 18,500 patients are awaiting evacuations after the two-year war, he said, with trauma injuries from the war as well as chronic conditions such as cancer and diabetes.

A UNICEF spokesperson said that more than 3,000 of them were children.

Gaza health authorities are choosing whom to prioritise among the sick and wounded, Lindmeier said.

"We know that patients have died basically waiting for evacuation, and that's something which is horrible when you know just a few miles or kilometres outside that border, help is available," he added.

Officials say the number of crossings could gradually increase if the system works, with Israel and Egypt vetting those allowed in and out.