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GENEVA, October 29. /TASS/. About 15,000 residents of the Gaza Strip need to be evacuated from the enclave for medical reasons, World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "I thank those member states that have received patients from Gaza, and I ask you to accept more patients," he noted, addressing the 75th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, which is taking place in the Danish capital of Copenhagen on October 28-30. "There are still about 15,000 patients who need to be evacuated outside Gaza for treatment, including 4,000 children. More than 700 have already died while awaiting medical evacuation," the WHO chief pointed out. Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when the Hamas movement staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 250 hostages. In response, Israel launched a military operation in the enclave in order to free all hostages and destroy the military capability of Hamas. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 68,000 Palestinians were killed in military operations, and more than 170,000 suffered injuries. On October 9, Israel and Hamas accepted an agreement, brokered by Egypt, Qatar, the US and Turkey, to implement the first phase of a peace plan floated by US President Donald Trump.
