Romania evacuates 12 Palestinian patients from Gaza for medical treatment

Romanian authorities in coordination with the European Commission participated on Wednesday, January 15, in the urgent medical evacuation operation of 12 Palestinian patients from the Gaza Strip, along with 35 family members. Those evacuated are severely affected by the lack of access to adequate medical treatment.

The operation was carried out with the involvement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the support of the Romanian Embassy in Tel Aviv, the Romanian Representation Office in Ramallah, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs – Department for Emergency Situations, and the Ministry of Health.

Romania offered assistance to vulnerable patients from the Palestinian enclave given the difficult humanitarian and medical situation caused by the war between Hamas and Israel. The two actors have been locked in conflict since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and ongoing negotiations for peace are currently under strain.

Throughout the transport, medical assistance was provided by a team consisting of two doctors and two nurses from the UPU-SMURD Floreasca unit, along with one doctor and two nurses from the Ministry of National Defense.

Following their arrival in Bucharest, out of the total number of patients, one person was transported to Norway for treatment, while another five people, along with 16 accompanying family members, were transported to France. One other patient will be transported to Albania, together with three accompanying family members.

The remaining five patients will stay in Romania and receive specialized treatment at the "Maria Sklodowska Curie" Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children and the "Grigore Alexandrescu" Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children in Bucharest. They are accompanied by 16 family members.

"Through this endeavor, our country reaffirms its role as a reliable partner, committed to humanitarian assistance, the transportation of critically ill patients, and the provision of specialized medical treatments," the DSU press release states.

(Photo source: Departamentul pentru situatii de urgenta on Facebook)