UN calls to open Rafah Crossing: Tens of thousands of patients in Gaza need evacuation

The United Nations (UN) Humanitarian Coordinator in Palestine Muhannad Hadi called on Friday for the reopening of the Rafah Crossing to evacuate patients from the Gaza Strip and facilitate the entry of goods. Hadi noted that tens of thousands of patients in the Strip need immediate evacuation to receive treatment abroad.

This came during a speech at a briefing session held by the UN Security Council at the request of Algeria, China and Russia to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

In his speech, Hadi stressed: “There is a need to reopen the Rafah Crossing to evacuate patients from Gaza and facilitate the entry of individuals, goods, and fuel into the Strip.”

He pointed out in this regard that tens of thousands of patients in Gaza need “immediate medical evacuation” and urged not to impose any restrictions on humanitarian aid entering Gaza.

Israel closed the Rafah Crossing in the southern Gaza Strip since its army took control of it on 7 May, depriving patients and the wounded of the ability to travel abroad for treatment, especially given the deteriorating health system in Gaza as a result of the Israeli war.

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Israel also imposes severe restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, which has caused a vast shortage of food and medical supplies, especially in the northern areas of the Strip.

Hadi described the attacks against the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) as “unacceptable”, warning that they pose a danger to humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza.

Coinciding with its war on Gaza, Israel has launched a sharp attack on UNRWA, claiming that its employees contributed to the Al-Aqsa Flood attacks.

UNRWA denies Israel’s accusations against it and confirms that it is committed to neutrality and focuses exclusively on supporting refugees.

As part of its attack on UNRWA, Israel imposed restrictions on the organisation’s work in the Palestinian territories, especially in Gaza, where it destroyed dozens of its buildings and killed many of its employees.

Referring to other aspects of the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, Hadi pointed out that children in Gaza face the risk of contracting serious diseases due to waste and sewage and that the war on Gaza has deprived 625,000 Palestinian children of an entire school year.

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