Of the 93,000 people injured in Gaza, more than 14,000 are in urgent need of evacuation. This number is anticipated to rise further amid the continued destruction of civilian infrastructure and healthcare facilities, the prevented entry of medical supplies, and severe restrictions on access to health services.
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Last week, 140 patients and their accompanying loved ones were evacuated through the Ramon Airport, marking only the second medical evacuation since May. A total of 13,877 evacuation requests have been submitted since the start of the war, with only 42% being approved. So far, 4,913 patients have been evacuated through the Rafah crossing, but there are still around 14,000 patients urgently requiring evacuation.
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When Israel seized control of the Rafah crossing in May, it dismantled the existing, though inadequate, system for evacuating Gazan patients. Israel did not bother setting up alternative procedures, thereby blocking the departure of over 2,000 patients.
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In June, we petitioned the High Court to establish clear and permanent procedures for patient evacuation. We emphasized the urgent need to evacuate patients, especially children who have been waiting for medical treatment for months. Since then, the state has only declared its intention to establish such procedures but has not acted on the matter for more than two months. At the end of June, following efforts by our organization and others, 21 children were evacuated from Gaza to Egypt through the Kerem Shalom crossing. Despite Israel’s boasting about this evacuation, only one more has happened since then.
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Now, more than ever, the medical and international community must intervene to pressure Israel into allowing the evacuation of all sick and wounded patients in Gaza through every crossing. We urgently call for the following actions:
👉 Establish clear and permanent evacuation procedures, while ensuring patients' right to return after treatment.
👉 Facilitate evacuations to Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, which are equipped to receive a large number of wounded and ill patients.
👉 Open the Rafah crossing to facilitate evacuation efforts.
👉 Ensure that children are not separated from their parents during the evacuation, keeping families together.
👉 Cease the attacks on Gaza's healthcare system and infrastructure and protect local hospitals to ensure they can treat the thousands of sick and wounded in Gaza.
👉 Bring in an independent third party to examine Israel's destruction of Gaza's healthcare system and civilian infrastructure, to ensure accountability and prevent future violations.
