AhlulBayt News Agency: Beginning Monday, Egypt will start receiving Palestinian patients from Gaza through the Rafah border crossing for medical treatment, amid growing warnings of an imminent health disaster.
Cairo News Channel reported on Sunday that the Palestinian side of the crossing had opened for a trial phase, with full operations scheduled to begin Monday. Mobile ICU units and 24-hour ambulances have been prepared to receive incoming patients.
Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, Director of Al‑Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza, warned that the lack of a clear evacuation mechanism could result in a sharp rise in fatalities. He noted that around 20,000 patients and wounded individuals urgently require medical care, including 4,500 children.
He added that among them are 440 critical cases and nearly 4,000 cancer patients, many of whom are on emergency waiting lists to leave Gaza for treatment.
Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities announced Sunday that the crossing had reopened in coordination with the EU and Egypt, marking the first time in over 18 months that the Palestinian side has operated after an almost complete shutdown.
Hamas earlier stressed that Gaza residents’ right to access the Rafah crossing must be preserved, warning that any Israeli restrictions would violate international law and ceasefire agreements.
Recent images show that the crossing sustained heavy damage following the Israeli incursion in May 2024. Partial road repairs and new pathways are being constructed to facilitate patient transport, even as Israeli forces continue to control the Palestinian side since the war began in October 2023.
The Rafah crossing was briefly reopened during a ceasefire in January 2025 to allow the passage of patients and the wounded, but it was closed again after hostilities resumed in March of the same year.
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