Watan-The evacuation of individuals wounded in the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, as well as those suffering from chronic and severe illnesses, has commenced through the Rafah border crossing for treatment abroad. This process is occurring amid complex procedures, differing from those in place prior to October 7, 2023, and has faced widespread criticism due to the limited number of individuals in the initial group that departed the Strip last Saturday.
The medical evacuations are being coordinated between the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), and Egyptian authorities, following an eight-month period during which the occupation refused to allow patient evacuations since its takeover of the Rafah crossing and the Salah al-Din border corridor in May of the previous year.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, 37 individuals with serious injuries and illnesses left for Egypt via the Rafah crossing on Saturday, followed by 46 patients and wounded individuals with their companions on Sunday. However, approximately 12,000 wounded and ill individuals are in need of treatment abroad.
Dr. Maher Shamia, Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, stated that the ceasefire agreement included provisions for evacuating a large number of registered patients and wounded individuals who have medical referrals for treatment abroad. He added, “Hopes are pinned on sending large numbers of patients and wounded in the coming period, with expectations that they will reach countries where they can receive medical services not available in the Gaza Strip, such as Turkey, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, and other countries that have previously hosted Gaza’s wounded.”
Shamia emphasized that “there are critical cases that require prioritization for travel to complete their treatment, while stable cases are scheduled for travel according to a timeline. The opening of the Rafah crossing is essential for cases that cannot be treated in Gaza, such as cancer and heart patients.
Medical referrals were facilitated towards the West Bank before the aggression, but have become complicated due to the aggression on the Strip. The Palestinian wounded and sick have priority in receiving medical services, and each patient will have one companion, with discussions ongoing about allowing more companions based on promises received by the Ministry of Health.”
The current mechanism for transporting the wounded and patients involves gathering them at Nasser Medical Hospital in Khan Younis under the supervision of the WHO. Critical cases are transported by ambulance, while non-critical cases are moved by buses to the Rafah border crossing.
On the Egyptian side, ambulances and buses await to transfer them to Egyptian hospitals. The procedures are more complex than before, based on arrangements insisted upon by the Israeli side. All these complications and new conditions have been imposed by the difficult situation resulting from the aggression.
Zaher al-Wahidi, Director of the Health Information Unit at the Ministry of Health in Gaza, hopes that the number of patients allowed to receive treatment abroad will increase, especially given the rising numbers needing to travel. He stated, “There are more than 10,000 ready treatment referrals for patients and wounded awaiting permission to travel. They include war-wounded individuals, cancer patients, and others with serious diseases. Each day of delay poses a danger to their lives.”
Al-Wahidi added, “All those who have left for treatment abroad are children, and two children who were supposed to travel in the first group died because they couldn’t travel quickly. The wounded and patients are evacuated to Egypt, and then coordination will occur to transfer them to other countries, but there is no clear mechanism yet regarding which countries will host them. Forty-four percent of the cases are critical and urgent, while 56% are less critical and can wait for a short period, but they also need to travel.”
He explained, “Approximately 3% of the cases require immediate intervention to save lives and should be allowed to travel immediately. About 2,800 children need treatment abroad, including those with complex fractures that are difficult to treat in Gaza, individuals needing surgery and rehabilitation, amputees, and those with second and third-degree burns.
The occupation has rendered many hospitals non-operational during the aggression, in addition to the lack of healthcare, medicines, and medical supplies necessary for surgeries, making treatment within the Strip impossible.”
The Israeli war on the Gaza Strip has resulted in approximately 46,000 Palestinian martyrs, most of whom are women and children, as well as hundreds of injuries, the destruction of hundreds of thousands of homes, and the burning and destruction of dozens of hospitals and medical clinics.
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