Photo courtesy of Egypt's cabinet
The project aims to enhance Egypt’s emergency healthcare capacity amid ongoing regional humanitarian pressures, including the arrival of wounded and displaced people from Gaza and Sudan who require advanced medical treatment.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Iwai Fumio, Japanese ambassador to Egypt; Elena Panova, the UN resident coordinator in Egypt; and Dr Nima Abid, the WHO representative in Egypt.
Minister Abdel-Ghaffar said Egypt has been among the first countries to respond to the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, receiving thousands of patients in need of complex surgeries and specialized care.
He noted that more than 90,000 comprehensive medical examinations had been conducted at the Rafah border crossing.
According to the minister, the new project focuses on three main pillars: supplying hospitals participating in the national emergency plan with critical equipment and devices; training medical teams on intensive and critical care protocols; and raising the readiness of hospitals in border governorates to provide high-quality services to the injured and displaced.
Abdel-Ghaffar described the partnership with Japan and the WHO as an embodiment of “shared international responsibility,” highlighting the significant financial and logistical burden Egypt has borne in providing free medical care to Palestinians and stressing the need for sustained international support.
Since the start of the crisis, Egypt’s health system has mobilized substantial resources, including preparing 170 hospitals across 24 governorates, allocating more than 13,000 inpatient beds and around 2,000 intensive care beds, and deploying 63,000 medical personnel, including doctors and nurses, he stated.
For his part, Dr Abid praised "Egypt’s exceptional solidarity,” saying the agreement reflects a joint commitment to humanitarian values and partnership. He noted that Japan was among the first countries to respond to the urgent humanitarian appeal.
Ambassador Fumio also commended Egypt’s extensive efforts to provide healthcare to Palestinians and other vulnerable groups, adding that the support comes at a critical time as medical evacuation operations resume through the Rafah crossing. He said the agreement expands assistance to include both Palestinians and Sudanese nationals.
Since the outbreak of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023, Egypt has operated one of the largest sustained medical evacuation and humanitarian support mechanisms for Palestinians leaving the territory.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, between November 2023 and July 2025, Egypt allocated 209 ambulances to transport wounded and sick Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egyptian hospitals.
During that period, 18,560 injured Palestinians and accompanying relatives received treatment in 172 hospitals nationwide.
Egyptian medical teams have conducted 90,850 medical examinations and surgical procedures for Palestinian patients since the beginning of the war, covering both emergency trauma interventions and follow-up specialized care.
The evacuations are coordinated through a structured triage and referral system at the Rafah border crossing, where incoming patients are medically assessed before being transferred via equipped ambulances to specialized hospitals across multiple governorates.
Health officials say many of the cases involve high-acuity trauma, including complex vascular injuries, neurosurgical cases, spinal trauma, and severe burns, requiring prolonged intensive care and advanced surgical resources. Hundreds of patients remain under treatment at any given time, often accompanied by family members admitted on humanitarian grounds.
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