Israel denies West Bank medical team entry to Gaza

The Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights has condemned the Israeli authorities for preventing a medical delegation from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the West Bank from entering the Gaza Strip on Sunday to provide medical care for the wounded protesters.

In a statement issued yesterday, the centre condemned the Israeli restrictions imposed on the freedom of movement for medical missions and called on the international community to intervene to ensure the free passage of all medical staff and supplies and to lift the siege on the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s policies, especially the continuation of the 11-year siege, have contributed to the decline in the capacity of health services in the besieged enclave.

READ: Israel army attacking and impeding Palestinian medics, says British charity

The statement cited a report by the Palestinian Ministry of Health’s General Directorate of Pharmacy which stated that as a result of the Israeli restrictions 50 per cent of vital medicines are not available in the Gaza Strip.

The center called on the international community to take concrete and urgent steps to stop the Israeli targeting of civilians, to facilitate the passage of medical delegations and to ensure that the wounded and sick have access to hospitals by pressing the Israeli authorities to respect international humanitarian law provisions and to end the siege on Gaza.