The extensive destruction of medical infrastructure in the Gaza Strip left thousands of civilians—particularly children and chronically ill patients—unable to receive the specialised, life‑saving treatment they urgently required. In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) coordinated a large‑scale international medical evacuation effort, supported by the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), to transfer vulnerable patients to hospitals across Europe.

As part of this effort, Luxembourg contributed through its emergency.lu medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) capacity, operating dedicated missions in close coordination with the European Commission’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC). On 19 March 2025, Luxembourg facilitated the air transport of three Palestinian patients, each accompanied by two relatives, from Bucharest to France. These individuals had first been evacuated from Gaza to Romania by national authorities, after which Luxembourg ensured their safe onward transfer to a European medical facility capable of providing advanced treatment.

The evacuation was conducted by Luxembourg Air Rescue (LAR) using pre‑allocated emergency.lu MEDEVAC flight hours, ensuring medical staff, equipment and in‑flight care appropriate for the patients’ conditions. This mission formed part of a wider EU effort to distribute Gaza patients among several Member States, ensuring that treatment capacities were balanced and that critically ill individuals received timely, specialised care.