05/12/24 (Agence Europe) – The European Commission has mobilised its Civil Protection Mechanism as part of a new medical evacuation from Gaza, said the new European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, on X on Thursday 5 December. Eight patients requiring emergency care and 25 family members were transferred to hospitals in Belgium, Romania and Spain. “The war has led to a near complete shutdown of the medical system”, wrote Hadja Lahbib. Ten European countries have so far offered medical treatment or transport to vulnerable Palestinian patients. In all, 59 patients from Gaza and 143 relatives were evacuated to European hospitals. A total of €238 million in humanitarian funding was provided in 2024, and 3,400 tonnes of freight were delivered via the EU airlift. (FS)