Over 20,000 Gaza patients stranded as Israel restricts Rafah crossing

The ministry statement detailed that over 20,000 patients are registered on travel lists, including individuals suffering from cancer, heart conditions, and kidney failure. Many wounded require advanced surgical procedures unavailable in Gaza due to the blockade and damage to the healthcare system. Although Israel reopened the Palestinian side of Rafah on February 2 after occupying it since May 2024, the number permitted to cross remains severely limited and disproportionate to the overwhelming medical needs.

Accounts of mistreatment at crossing

The ministry reported receiving "harrowing testimony" from patients who managed to depart, describing restrictive measures and unjustified complications imposed by Israeli authorities that compounded their psychological and physical suffering. On February 5, the UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory documented accounts from returnees who reported being handcuffed, blindfolded, searched, and threatened after crossing. Two Israeli human rights organizations, Adalah and Gisha, condemned what they termed "a policy of abuse and unlawful restrictions" amounting to "forced displacement" of Gazans seeking to return through Rafah.

Ceasefire obligations unmet

Under the first phase of the November ceasefire agreement that ended Israel's two-year war, Israel was obligated to fully reopen the Rafah crossing when the truce took effect. Israeli authorities have failed to comply with this provision. The restricted mechanism, limited traveler numbers, and slowed medical evacuations threaten thousands of lives and deepen Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe, according to the Health Ministry. The crossing previously operated under a system managed by Gaza's Interior Ministry and Egyptian authorities without Israeli involvement, with hundreds crossing daily in both directions before the war.

Mass displacement and return movement

Quasi-official figures show 80,000 Palestinians have registered to return to Gaza, demonstrating widespread refusal of displacement despite the territory's destruction. The war, which began October 8, 2023, killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, wounded over 171,000, and destroyed approximately 90% of civilian infrastructure, with UN-estimated reconstruction costs reaching $70 billion. Even since the ceasefire, Israeli attacks have killed at least 601 Palestinians and injured over 1,600 others. The Health Ministry urged permanent, regular opening of Rafah and international intervention to guarantee patients' right to treatment under international law.