Medics and rights groups are calling for the immediate opening of a humanitarian corridor from Gaza to allow the urgent evacuation of patients to hospitals in east Jerusalem. Israel controls all points of departure from the Gaza Strip, which has been heavily affected by the ongoing war between Israel and militants led by Hamas. The East Jerusalem Hospitals Network and Physicians for Human Rights Israel estimate that about 25,000 patients in Gaza are in need of urgent care. Prior to the war, patients in Gaza could be evacuated to hospitals in east Jerusalem or the West Bank, but this mechanism has been defunct since the war broke out. The World Health Organization has stated that thousands of patients across Gaza still need medical evacuations for life-saving care.