Israel’s restrictions at Rafah crossing blocking lifesaving evacuations for 20,000 patients: Gaza Health Ministry

The Gaza Ministry of Health is demanding the “permanent and regular” opening of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, insisting it must operate in a way that guarantees unrestricted movement for patients and the wounded.

In a statement on Monday, the ministry warned that “more than 20,000 patients and wounded people are waiting to travel for treatment, and the partial operation of the Rafah crossing does not rise to the scale of the catastrophe.”

The ministry added that many of the patients include critical cases, such as those suffering from cancer, heart disease, kidney failure, and severe injuries requiring advanced surgical procedures that are unavailable in the Gaza Strip due to the blockade and repeated Israeli attacks on the healthcare system.

The ministry noted that although the Rafah crossing was declared partially operational on February 2, 2026, the number of people allowed to travel “remains extremely limited and does not correspond at all to the scale of the escalating health tragedy.”

The ministry also reported receiving "deeply distressing" testimonies from patients and injured individuals who traveled abroad for treatment.

It described unjustified restrictions as a systematic policy worsening both the psychological and physical suffering of patients and further compounding the burdens they endure under already dire health and humanitarian conditions.

“This restricted mechanism at Rafah, which limits traveler numbers and slows medical evacuation procedures, poses a direct threat to the lives of thousands of patients, dangerously worsens humanitarian and health conditions, and places the international community before its legal and moral responsibilities.”

Israeli regime harasses, tortures Gazans returning through Rafah crossing

Palestinians returning to the Gaza Strip through the recently reopened Rafah crossing have reported a repeated pattern of mistreatment, abuse, and humiliation by Israeli regime forces.

The ministry called on international and humanitarian organizations “to intervene immediately to pressure (Israel) for guaranteeing patients’ right to treatment and travel, as a fundamental human right enshrined in international laws and conventions.”

It warned that continued obstruction of their travel threatens further loss of life, requiring urgent and responsible action to end this escalating suffering.

The first weeks of the partial reopening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza Strip and Egypt were marked by Israeli repression, confusion, and significant logistical hurdles.

Palestinians returning to Gaza through the reopened crossing have described a recurring pattern of mistreatment, abuse, and humiliation by the Israeli forces.

To re-enter Gaza via Rafah, Palestinians must pass through three layers of security screening, first by Egyptian authorities, then by the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Rafah (EUBAM), and finally by the Israeli military inside Gaza.

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