Dozens of wounded Palestinians appealed on Wednesday to the international community and humanitarian organizations for urgent action to save their lives by facilitating their travel for medical treatment outside the Gaza Strip, opening border crossings for patients, and allowing the entry of necessary medical supplies for hospitals.
This came during a protest held in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) headquarters in Gaza City. The wounded and their families participated, holding banners calling for the rescue of those whose treatment is unavailable within the Gaza Strip.
Musa Sarhan, a member of the Central Committee of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), told Anadolu Agency that the protest aimed to convey the plight of the wounded to the ICRC and the World Health Organization (WHO), demanding the facilitation of the evacuation of patients and critical cases.
He added that more than 17,000 medical referral requests are still awaiting approval to leave the Gaza Strip, while the number of wounded exceeds 173,000. He asserted that allowing approximately 20 patients and wounded individuals to leave daily does not meet the humanitarian needs.
He called for allowing the evacuation of at least 500 sick and wounded people daily through the Rafah crossing, in addition to bringing in the necessary medical devices and equipment to enhance the hospitals’ ability to provide treatment.
On June 11, the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip said that Israel is obstructing the travel of 17,000 patients and wounded people who have received medical referrals for treatment abroad, warning of an increase in the number of deaths among patients waiting to travel.
