Many Western nations offer to assist treating patients from Gaza in West Bank

A girl stands next to a stroller, as two children sit in it, in Gaza City, 19 September, 2025
Reuters

Dozens of Western nations called on Monday for the reopening of the medical corridor between Gaza and the West Bank, offering to provide financial aid and medical staff or equipment to treat Gaza's patients in the West Bank.

"We strongly appeal to Israel to restore the medical corridor to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, so medical evacuations from Gaza can be resumed and patients can get the treatment that they so urgently need on Palestinian territory," the countries said in a joint statement released by Canada.

Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the European Union and Poland were among the two dozen signatories of the statement. The United States was not listed as a signatory.

"We furthermore urge Israel to lift restrictions on deliveries of medicine and medical equipment to Gaza," the statement said.

Aid agencies said in late August that only a trickle of the aid that was needed, including medicine, had been reaching people in Gaza since Israel lifted a blockade on aid in May. The World Health Organization said in May that Gaza's health system is at a breaking point.

Israel controls all access to Gaza and says it allows enough food aid and supplies into the Strip.

The United Nations childrens charity UNICEF reported that the percentage of children identified as acutely malnourished increased to 13.5% in August in Gaza. That's up from 8.3% recorded in July.

Displaced Palestinian children, part of many fleeing northern Gaza due to an Israeli military operation, move southward, after Israeli forces ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the south, in the central Gaza Strip, 21 September, 2025
Reuters

The study also showed that figures were even higher in Gaza City at 19% in August, where thousands have already fled since Israel recently intensifieid it's strikes. Previously in July the figure was at 16%.

“In August, 1 in 5 children in Gaza City was diagnosed with acute malnutrition and in need of the life-saving nutritional support and treatment that UNICEF provides,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the 11 September. 

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