Health ministry confirms 4,000 patients in Gaza need urgent treatment abroad

The Palestinian ministry of health announced on Monday that 4,000 patients in the besieged Gaza Strip are in urgent need of treatment abroad. Spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra called on the Egyptian authorities to open the Rafah Crossing to make this possible, Anadolu has reported.

“The closure of the Rafah Crossing and nine-year Israeli blockade on Gaza has affected the healthcare system,” explained Al-Qidra. “There is a 30 per cent shortage of essential medicines needed for kidney, heart, cancer, blood and other chronic diseases.”

He made his comments during a protest organised at the border crossing. This year, the Egyptian authorities have only opened the border for 21 days in total.

Although most Palestinian patients try to go through the Rafah Crossing in order to get access to specialised treatment either in Egypt or other countries, the Erez Crossing into Israel is another, albeit limited, option. This, though, is “used as a trap” by the Israelis for Palestinian patients and their relatives, claimed Al-Qidra. He was referring to Israel’s policy of trying to bribe Palestinians into becoming informers in return for being allowed out of Gaza for treatment.

The ministry official also pointed out that the latest restriction placed on Palestinians seeking treatment for serious illnesses by the Israelis is that male relatives accompanying them must be at least 55 years old; females must be at least 50. The measure has been criticised by the World Health Organisation. Israel is, in effect, politicising healthcare. Several Palestinian patients and their carers have been arrested by the Israelis at Erez.