The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip launched an urgent appeal, confirming that more than 20,000 patients and wounded individuals are now on waiting lists to travel abroad for treatment. The Ministry explained that the health situation in the Strip has reached a critical stage due to the ongoing siege and the systematic targeting of the medical system.
Medical sources indicated that the partial and restricted operation of the Rafah land crossing is absolutely inadequate for the escalating humanitarian catastrophe. They affirmed that the numbers allowed to leave represent only a very small percentage of cases requiring advanced surgical interventions and specialized treatments unavailable in the besieged hospitals.
The waiting lists include extremely critical cases, among them those with complex injuries and patients suffering from cancer, heart disease, and kidney failure. The Ministry warned that delays in medical evacuations put the lives of these patients at risk and increase the likelihood of death due to a lack of necessary medicines and equipment.
In a related context, the Ministry revealed that it had received harsh testimonies from patients and wounded individuals who managed to leave, stating that they were subjected to unjustified harassment and complications by the occupation authorities. These testimonies included details about humiliating searches and deliberate delays that increased the physical and psychological suffering of travelers.
The occupation authorities had reopened the Palestinian side of the crossing on February 2nd, after militarily controlling it in May of last year. However, movement through the crossing remains subject to very strict restrictions that prevent the natural flow of aid and the exit of urgent humanitarian cases.
For its part, the United Nations Office for Human Rights documented serious violations suffered by those returning to the Strip, with reports of travelers being taken to Israeli military checkpoints. Human rights sources stated that these citizens were subjected to handcuffing and blindfolding, in addition to the confiscation of their personal belongings under threat.
Against the backdrop of these violations, international and Israeli human rights organizations, including the 'Adalah' and 'Gisha' centers, demanded an end to the abusive policies practiced at the crossing. These organizations considered the restrictions on the movement of Palestinians to be part of forced displacement policies and a violation of international laws and conventions.
Despite the massive destruction left by the war, some 80,000 Palestinians registered their names to return to the Gaza Strip, a step that reflects the popular insistence on rejecting displacement. These data confirm the Palestinians' determination to remain in their land despite 90 percent of the civilian infrastructure being out of service due to continuous shelling.
On the ground, occupation aircraft continued their raids on various areas of the Strip, resulting in the martyrdom of 12 citizens on Sunday alone. The raids targeted tents of displaced persons in the Faluja area west of Jabalia, in addition to attacks targeting the vicinity of the Turkish slaughterhouse west of Khan Younis and Beit Lahia.
Medical sources reported the martyrdom of 5 citizens in a direct targeting of a displaced persons' tent in Jabalia, while 5 others were killed in a similar raid in Khan Younis. Medical teams also recorded the martyrdom of citizens in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood and Beit Lahia, amidst the continued intensive overflight of warplanes and drones in the Strip's airspace.
These developments come amidst continuous violations of the ceasefire agreement that began last October, with the Ministry of Health confirming the martyrdom of 601 people since that date. Palestinian forces described this escalation as a serious breach that threatens international efforts aimed at stabilizing the truce and providing relief to the population.
The Ministry of Health reiterated its demand for the international community to intervene immediately to open the Rafah crossing permanently and regularly without Israeli restrictions. It stressed that the right to treatment and travel is an internationally guaranteed right and should not be used as a tool for political pressure or collective punishment against civilians.
The Ministry also appealed to international humanitarian organizations to increase the pace of medical evacuations for critical cases and to provide safe passages for patients. It affirmed that the continuation of the current mechanism at the crossing poses an existential threat to thousands of wounded individuals who need precise surgical operations to save their lives or limbs from amputation.
It is worth noting that the war of genocide waged by the occupation with American support since October 2023 has left a heavy toll exceeding 72,000 martyrs and 171,000 wounded. The war has caused near-total destruction of the health system, making travel abroad the only remaining option for thousands of injured and sick people.
The partial operation of the Rafah crossing does not keep pace with the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe, and patients are subjected to humiliating Israeli harassment procedures.
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Suffocating Health Crisis in Gaza: 20,000 Wounded and Sick Awaiting Evacuation Amidst Strict Restrictions at Rafah Crossing