The World Health Organization welcomed the evacuation of 12 children with cancer or other blood disorders along with their companions from the Gaza Strip to Egypt and Jordan so that they can continue their treatment safely.

The organization added - in a statement on its website today, Friday - that more children are expected to be evacuated to receive cancer treatment as part of this initiative, and to facilitate this step, the World Health Organization and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital coordinated with officials from Egypt, Israel, Jordan, the occupied Palestinian territories, and the United States of America, in addition to members of the St. Jude Global Alliance, a global community of institutions and organizations dedicated to helping children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.

The organization emphasized that sustainable, organized, and unobstructed medical evacuations of critically injured and ill patients to Egypt through the Rafah border crossing are essential.

In line with this, the World Health Organization and St. Jude are committed to facilitating the evacuation of more pediatric cancer patients and their families, as allowed by the health status of the patients and security conditions.