Israeli closure of Rafah crossing has denied 2,000 patients from leaving Gaza

Israel's capture and subsequent closure of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt has prevented at least 2,000 Palestinian patients from leaving Gaza for treatement, a World Health Organisation official said on Tuesday.

Before the closure, "approcimately 50 critical patients a day left Gaza... [which] means that since the 7th of May at least 2,000 people have been unable to leave Gaza to receive medical care," said Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

Movement through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing, nearby to the Rafah crossing, has been impeded by insecurity and logistical challenges.

Peeperkorn said that at least 10,000 people were in need of evacuation from Gaza. He said it was an underestimate, and that even more were in need of critical care for war traumas and chronic diseases.

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