Closure of Rafah crossing halts 2,000 medical evacuations from Gaza

The closure of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza has prevented the medical evacuation of at least 2,000 patients, a World Health Organization official said on Tuesday, calling for Rafah and other routes to be reopened.

Before the closure, “about 50 critically ill patients per day were leaving Gaza… This means that since May 7 at least 2,000 people have not been able to leave Gaza to receive medical care,” said Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the West Bank. and Gaza.

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The Rafah crossing was the main conduit for evacuations as well as humanitarian aid earlier in the war that began between Israel and Hamas on October 7. It was closed when Israel launched an operation on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip in May.

The United States, Egypt and Qatar held talks late last week aimed at reopening the crossing and increasing aid flows, according to Egyptian security sources. But Rafah, where Egypt wants Israeli troops to withdraw and the Palestinian presence to be restored, remains closed.

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Movement through the nearby Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing, which Peeperkorn described as unsafe, has been hampered by insecurity and logistical challenges.

At least 10,000 people need to be evacuated from Gaza, Peppercorn said, adding that this is an underestimate of the number who need intensive care for both war injuries and chronic illnesses.

“We need more emergency evacuation (medevac) routes, we would like to see Kerem Shalom and other routes also open for medevac where patients can then be referred to the referral hospitals in East Jerusalem and the West Bank,” said Peepercorn.

The group of five children who had been evacuated from northern Gaza to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis and were reportedly ready to leave the Strip were still awaiting evacuation, Piperkorn said.