Romania offers to take in child patients from Gaza as Europe lags on medical evacuations
With only a handful of European countries taking in wounded Palestinians, Bucharest pledges to evacuate up to 1,000 children and help rebuild Gaza’s civilian infrastructure.
Romanian President Nicusor Dan said his country is prepared to evacuate up to 1,000 children from Gaza for urgent medical treatment, as only a small number of European states have so far agreed to receive patients from the war-ravaged enclave.
Speaking in Washington, DC at the inaugural meeting of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative, Dan said Romania could expand evacuation flights already under way and extend support to as many as 4,000 relatives accompanying the children.
Medical organisations have repeatedly warned that Gaza’s healthcare system has collapsed, with thousands in urgent need of surgery, rehabilitation or specialised care abroad. Yet European medical evacuation programmes remain limited, leaving many patients stranded despite international appeals for help.
In October 2025, the World Health Organization said European countries had received 1,000 patients from Gaza, which the UN organisation called “a drop in the ocean”.
By late 2025, the number of sick and wounded Palestinian children evacuated to Italy for treatment was only 196.
Last year, the German government opposed proposals from at least five cities to accept injured and traumatised children from Gaza.
Dan said Romania’s contribution could go beyond emergency care. He offered Romanian expertise in rebuilding civilian institutions, including ambulance networks, fire services and public administration — systems heavily damaged during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Bucharest is also prepared to expand scholarships for Palestinian students and assist in restoring Gaza’s education infrastructure, he added, arguing that rebuilding institutions would be essential for long-term stability.
Romania’s balanced diplomatic ties with both Israelis and Palestinians, Dan said, position it to support reconstruction and humanitarian recovery efforts as the international community debates the future governance of Gaza.