Gaza Genocide05 July, 20263 min read
Palestinians Rally Outside Al-Shifa Hospital Demanding Israel Lift Rafah Travel Restrictions
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Rafah border restrictions hinder urgent medical evacuations from Gaza. Palestinian Red Crescent Society facilitates evacuations through Rafah, moving patients and companions.
Rafah evacuation demand
Palestinians rallied outside Al-Shifa hospital, demanding Israel lift travel restrictions on those leaving the Gaza Strip for urgent medical treatment as Gaza health authorities said more than 20,000 patients and wounded people are awaiting evacuation while Israel continues to throttle crossings through Rafah. Al Jazeera reported the protest as Gaza health authorities said the waiting list includes more than 20,000 patients and wounded people. The TRT Arabi report said the Ministry of Health confirmed in a statement that allowing a limited number of patients to depart does not meet urgent needs, noting that only 29 patients were able to depart on Tuesday via the Rafah crossing and 20 patients left on Monday toward hospitals in Jordan.
TRT Arabi added that thousands of patients and the wounded registered on waiting lists are still waiting for permission to depart, while the health crisis in the sector worsens. In the same context, TRT Arabi said that since the crossing reopened, about 700 patients have left the Gaza Strip to receive treatment abroad, while more than 18,000 patients and wounded remain waiting for evacuation.
WHO figures and corridor
The TRT Français report said the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that more than 18,500 people in Gaza, including at least 4,000 children, still require evacuation to receive medical care unavailable in the territory. TRT Français quoted WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus saying the agency had supported the evacuation of 21 patients, accompanied by 36 relatives, from Gaza to Jordan on January 19 and thanked Jordan for its ongoing cooperation. Tedros also said in a post on X that "This is a step in the right direction and it must pave the way for reopening the medical-evacuation corridor to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem," while TRT Français said the authorization was granted to a Gaza patient to travel to the occupied West Bank following a decision by the Jerusalem District Court.
TRT Français said thousands of patients remain trapped in Gaza due to Israeli military attacks against the enclave's health system, severe shortages of medicines and fuel, and substantial damage to hospitals. The TRT Français report further stated that since the start of the genocidal war waged by Israel against Gaza in October 2023, more than 71,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 171,000 injured, primarily women and children.
Evacuations via crossings
VOI.ID reported that on Tuesday a team from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) participated in a medical evacuation operation to the Rafah border, transferring 85 people, including 30 patients and 55 companions. VOI.ID said the World Health Organization manages and conducts evacuations in coordination with the parties involved, including completing the necessary procedures for patients and their companions to cross the Rafah border. Al-Quds Al-Arabi described a medical evacuation operation toward the Rafah border crossing involving 85 people, including 30 patients and 55 accompanying persons, and said the gathering operation started from inside the Mawasi Field Hospital of the Society in Khan Younis.
Al-Quds Al-Arabi added that the Palestinian Red Crescent Society crews participated in receiving patients and their companions and providing logistical and humanitarian support, while the World Health Organization managed the evacuation and execution and coordinated with relevant authorities. Separately, WAFA reported through وكالة الانباء والمعلومات الفلسطينية that on April 27, 2026, 189 people were evacuated through the Kerem Shalom crossing, including 81 patients and 108 accompanying persons, with PRCS teams transporting patients and companions by ambulance and housing them for the night at the PRCS field hospital in Al-Mawasi.