The spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent in the Gaza Strip, Raed al-Nams, warned of the repercussions of the intermittent closure of the Rafah crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, stressing that it increases the risks to the lives of patients and the wounded, given the insufficient number of people allowed to leave during the periods when the crossing is open to meet medical needs.
In a press statement on Wednesday, he explained that the mechanism for selecting cases to travel is coordinated between the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization, according to the severity of the condition, from the most critical to the least critical.
He pointed out that this mechanism remains limited by the number of approvals, noting that the Israeli side bears the responsibility for determining the number of those permitted to travel, granting approvals according to its own considerations.
He described the restrictions imposed on the selection of those leaving as unacceptable in light of the increasing humanitarian needs.
The evacuation of patients and the wounded through the Rafah land crossing has been completely halted since last Monday, as a result of its closure by the Israeli occupation authorities.
The Palestinian General Authority for Crossings and Borders announced that the closure decision has led to a halt in travel for all humanitarian cases, including patients and the wounded on the evacuation lists. According to official data, there are currently more than 22,000 wounded and sick people in the Gaza Strip who are in dire need of travel to receive treatment abroad, including about 19,000 cases who have completed all medical and legal procedures and are waiting for permission to pass.
