In a significant development, thirty-seven sick and wounded Palestinians have successfully crossed into Egypt for medical treatment following the long-awaited reopening of the Rafah border crossing, which had been closed for over eight months. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the group consisted of 34 children and three adults, accompanied by 39 caregivers. This essential gateway between Gaza and Egypt reopened as part of a ceasefire and hostage exchange agreement reached between Hamas and Israel.
Footage captured at the scene depicts Palestinian children on stretchers and in ambulances arriving at the border. Mai Khader Abdul Ghani expressed relief over her son’s medical referral, stating, "We have been waiting for this day impatiently." Her son, Moatasem Billah Rami Nabil Sammour, suffers from a rare autoimmune disease, enduring harrowing pain while awaiting treatment. "I hope that his suffering comes to an end after receiving the appropriate treatment," she shared.
Other individuals, such as Mohammed Abu Jalala, conveyed the challenges faced by loved ones in need of care, highlighting the plight of his niece, Lara, who suffered severe injuries following a bombing that killed her family. “One foot was so badly damaged that it had to be amputated,” he recounted, with both physical and emotional scars weighing on the survivors.
Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO's representative for the West Bank and Gaza, described the evacuation as a slow but orderly process, prioritizing non-walking patients for immediate transfer. He estimated that around 14,000 individuals currently need medical treatment unavailable in Gaza, with about half of these patients suffering from war-related injuries necessitating extensive care.
Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced the deployment of a monitoring mission at the Rafah crossing to aid Palestinian border personnel in facilitating medical evacuations. “It will support the transfer of individuals out of Gaza, including those who need medical care,” she stated.
The Rafah crossing remains the only point of exit from Gaza for medical evacuations, with Erez crossing into Israel and Kerem Shalom for commercial goods being the other two crossing points. Amid ongoing tensions, the Hamas-run health ministry reports over 47,000 Palestinian fatalities due to the conflict, which escalated following a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed around 1,200 people and captured 251 hostages.
The reopening of Rafah coincided with the latest hostage release and prisoner swap orchestrated under the ceasefire, as Israel freed 183 Palestinian detainees in exchange for three Israeli hostages. The urgent need for humanitarian relief continues as both sides navigate the complexities of this fraught situation.
