THE World Health Organisation (WHO) urged Israel and Egypt today to open all crossings out of Gaza to allow thousands of critically ill Palestinians to leave for urgent medical treatment, calling it a potential “game-changer.”

Since Israel’s attack began two years ago, the WHO has helped evacuate nearly 7,800 patients from Gaza but says about 15,000 more need life-saving care abroad.

Only 41 patients have been evacuated since the October 10 US-brokered ceasefire.

WHO representative Rik Peeperkorn said all medical corridors must reopen, including to hospitals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

“If that route opened, it would really be a … game changer,” he said, saying that the WHO is ready to move at least 50 patients daily.

The agency estimates that more than 700 people have died waiting for evacuation.

He said that evacuating the 15,000 people needing treatment, including 4,000 children, at the current rate would drag on for about 10 years.

Just 14 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially functional for a population exceeding two million.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned that more than one million people are still being forced to survive on a tiny patch of land, and in dangerous living conditions in southern Gaza.

The group said that the destruction of healthcare and basic infrastructure, combined with mass displacement, has created a perfect storm for disease outbreaks.

It said that Israel’s “two-year-long genocidal campaign” had left Gazans “traumatised, injured and dangerously exposed.

“Without immediate improvements to water, sanitation, shelter and nutrition, more people will die from entirely preventable causes,” it said.

UN data shows that more than 61 million tonnes of debris now cover Gaza, with nearly 80 per cent of buildings destroyed since October 2023.

The UN Environment Programme has warned that much of it may be contaminated with asbestos or industrial waste, posing serious health risks.

In Israel, visiting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Hamas “cannot be involved in governing Gaza” and ruled out a role for UN aid agency UNRWA, despite no evidence of the agency’s alleged Hamas ties.

He said that Washington was working to form an international security force and that a lasting truce could encourage more Arab states to normalise ties with Israel.

Meanwhile, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem reaffirmed the group’s commitment to the ceasefire and called for pressure on Israel to lift the blockade and allow adequate humanitarian aid.

He said Hamas was entering a “national dialogue” with the Palestinian Authority and other factions to ensure unity in Gaza’s future governance.