Medical Evacuation from Gaza: Six Patients to Norway
Press release | Date: 09/12/2024 | Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health and Care Services, Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion, Office of the Prime Minister
Six patients from Gaza were evacuated from Egypt to Norway on 9 December, in order to receive medical treatment in Norway. The patients are children aged 1–16, travelling with family members. These are the first patients from Gaza to arrive in Norway through medical evacuation.
‘I am glad that these patients from Gaza are now coming to Norway for further medical treatment. They are children that have experienced more than any child should endure. In Norway, they will receive good care from our specialized health services, said Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
From Egypt to Norway in close coordination with the European Commission
Norway has had a close cooperation with Egypt and the World Health Organization (WHO) on the evacuation of these patients, who have been under the care of Egyptian health care services. Egypt has received and treated a large number of patients from Gaza.
The evacuation is being carried out under the framework of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), similar to the ongoing medical evacuations that Norway and several other European countries have supported since the outbreak of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
Norway is also using the same evacuation capacity used by the Norwegian Armed Forces to transport Ukrainian patients to Norway and other European countries. This is a specialized medical evacuation aircraft operated by SAS and staffed with medical personnel and equipment from the Norwegian Armed Forces.
The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) serves as Norway’s contact point for UCPM, coordinating international civil and humanitarian assistance to various crises worldwide through this collaboration.
Supporting health services inside Gaza is a priority for Norway
The healthcare system in Gaza has collapsed. The WHO has called on countries to accept patients to relieve the Palestinian health system in this critical time. The government decided in June that Norway would contribute by offering to evacuate up to 20 patients to Norway. This process has taken time, partly due to the closure since May of the Rafah border crossing.
‘The UN has called on countries to assist in responding to the critical situation facing thousands of patients in Gaza’s collapsed healthcare system. Norway is contributing to this effort. At the same time, we must not forget that the most important help we can offer Palestinians in dire need of medical help in Gaza is to continue to support organisations on the ground, such as the UN, the Red Cross, and Norwac,’ said Minister of International Development Anne Beathe Kristiansen Tvinnereim.
Norway has contributed NOK 1 billion in humanitarian aid to Palestine this year.
The evacuation mission itself is funded by the EU Commission and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.