Gaza Health Ministry Urges Israel To Accelerate Rafah Medical Evacuations For Thousands

Rafah evacuations stall

Gaza’s health ministry said only 29 patients were able to depart on Tuesday via the Rafah border crossing and 20 patients left on Monday toward hospitals in Jordan, as it urged “the relevant bodies” to accelerate medical evacuation procedures for thousands of patients and wounded people registered on waiting lists. The ministry said patients are typically transported via the King Hussein Bridge to Jordan for treatment, while it warned that the small numbers of departing patients do not meet urgent needs amid “difficult health and humanitarian conditions” as the health crisis worsens.

It also said that since the border crossing reopened, around 700 patients have left the Gaza Strip to seek treatment abroad, while more than 18,000 patients and wounded people remain awaiting medical evacuation, citing earlier statements by Raed al-Nems to the government radio station Voice of Palestine. The TRT Arabi report added that on February 2 Israel reopened the Palestinian side of Rafah crossing in a very limited manner and under extremely tight restrictions, and that Israel was supposed to reopen the crossing in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 10, 2025, but it reneged on that.

Reporting for this sectionTRT ArabiAl-Tilfaziyyun al-Arabi

Patients wait, fear death

In al-Mawasi west of Khan Younis, Walid Jaber said he received a medical referral after an assessment by a committee of doctors at the Nasser Medical Complex more than nine months ago, but he still has not received his right to treatment and hopes to exit through the Rafah crossing to avoid amputation.

Al-Risalah Net described Ahmed Muammar, a nine-year-old struck by shrapnel from an Israeli missile, as waiting for his name on lists permitted to travel as days pass without departure and his family fears his health may worsen.

The report said Gaza’s health system was severely damaged during the war, with a persistent shortage of medicines, medical supplies, and specialized equipment, and it cited World Health Organization figures that more than 15,800 patients urgently need evacuation for specialized care not available inside the Strip.

Al-Risalah Net also quoted acting Health Ministry official Dr. Maher Shamiya, saying that up to May 20, 2026 the number of documented medical referrals reached 17,757 while only 3,226 travelers were able to depart via Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings, including just 1,204 patients.

Reporting for this sectionAl-Risalah Net

Cabinet urges international pressure

The Palestinian Cabinet in Ramallah renewed its call on the international community to exert greater pressure on Israel to facilitate the immediate medical evacuation of more than 20,000 injured persons from the Gaza Strip for treatment abroad, warning that they continue to be denied medical treatment due to the destruction of most healthcare facilities and severe restrictions on the entry of medicines and medical supplies. WAFA said the Cabinet warned of the risk of a complete collapse in the Strip as renewed military aggression, attacks on civilians, and the obstruction of humanitarian aid and relief convoys worsen the humanitarian situation.

WAFA also reported that during its weekly session the Cabinet reviewed escalating acts of settler terrorism and said that over the past week settlers carried out a total of 31 attacks targeting 11 Palestinian villages, including the destruction and vandalism of dozens of civilian vehicles and the establishment of new colonial installations. In a separate Gaza health ministry appeal, Jarida al-Quds said Tuesday saw only 29 patients depart via the Rafah border crossing and 20 more patients proceed to Jordanian hospitals last Monday, and it warned that continuing the current situation would mean a death sentence for thousands of patients who do not have the luxury of time to wait.

Reporting for this sectionWAFA AgencyJarida al-Quds