Gaza’s Health Ministry: More than 20,000 patients and wounded await travel for treatment
GAZA, Feb. 15 (YPA) – The Ministry of Health in Gaza has confirmed that more than 20,000 patients and wounded are waiting to travel for medical treatment, stressing that the partial operation of the Rafah crossing does not meet the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the ministry expressed deep concern and dismay over the continued closure and restricted partial operation of the Rafah border crossing, amid the worsening catastrophic health and humanitarian conditions faced by the Palestinian people in Gaza.
It noted that among the patients are critical cases, including cancer, heart disease, and kidney failure patients, and severe injuries requiring advanced surgical interventions that are unavailable in the Strip due to the blockade and repeated targeting of the health system.
The ministry said that although the Rafah crossing was announced as partially operational on February 2, 2026, the number of people allowed to travel so far remains extremely limited and does not correspond at all to the scale of the escalating health tragedy.
It emphasized that partial operation is insufficient and does not meet even the minimum humanitarian obligations owed to patients and the wounded.
The ministry reported receiving painful testimonies from patients and wounded who traveled abroad for treatment, describing unjustified restrictions and complications that reflect a systematic policy increasing their psychological and physical suffering, and doubling the burdens they face under extremely complex health and humanitarian conditions.
It warned that continuing with 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.
The ministry called for Rafah crossing to be opened permanently and regularly, ensuring freedom of movement for patients and wounded without restrictions or delays.
It also demanded urgent and immediate evacuation of patients and wounded in critical condition, and an increase in the number of travelers to match the accumulated medical needs.
The ministry urged international and humanitarian organizations to intervene immediately to pressure for guaranteeing patients’ right to treatment and travel, as a fundamental human right enshrined in international laws and conventions.
It concluded by stressing that patients’ lives are not numbers to be postponed, and that continued obstruction of their travel threatens further loss of life, requiring urgent and responsible action to end this escalating suffering.
@E.Y.M