Israel: PA reducing funds for Gazan to access medical care

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has reduced payments for Palestinian patients from Gaza who need treatment abroad, Sama news yesterday reported the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Occupied Territories saying.

General Yoav Mordechai claimed that the PA reduced the funds due to its dispute with Hamas, which has been in control of Gaza since 2007, over the money used for treatment.

“Without pledging to pay for the treatment of the Gaza patients, no one is able to have a travel permit,” Mordechai said, noting that Israel deals with application for “urgent cases”.

Read: PA denies halting medical shipments to Gaza

“Like the electricity crisis,” Mordechai said, “the treatment of patients from Gaza is conditioned to the PA payment. Israel is not obliged to pay for them.”

He added: “Any application related to this issue must go to the PA and its financial ministry because they are the parties which are responsible for investing money for the residents of the Gaza Strip.”

#GazaSiege

On Wednesday, the PA Ministry of Health in Ramallah denied that it reduced or cancelled payments for medical treatment for the Gaza residents.

The PA blamed the Israeli occupation for not issuing travel permits.