ABNA24 - Over 60 members of the US Congress have sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging the Trump administration to pressure the “Israeli” occupation entity to lift restrictions on Palestinian cancer patients in Gaza seeking treatment in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds.
In detail, the letter, signed Thursday by 51 members of the House of Representatives and 11 senators, cites the near-total collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system and preventable deaths among pediatric cancer patients.
Notably, prominent signatories include Senators Bernie Sanders [I-Vt.] and Chris Van Hollen [D-Md.], as well as Representatives Madeleine Dean [D-Pa.] and Greg Casar [D-Texas].
Accordingly, the lawmakers call on the State Department to facilitate medical evacuations for child cancer patients and their caretakers and to obtain "Israeli" guarantees that evacuees will be permitted to return to Gaza after treatment.
As a result, advocates say the crisis has reached an urgent moral and political threshold, with DAWN fellow Deyar Jamil stating there is “no conceivable reason” children should be denied lifesaving treatment nearby.
“Such cruelty would not be possible without US political cover, and we are grateful for the members of Congress who are demanding an end to it.”
Furthermore, the letter highlights that more than 18,500 Palestinians, including around 11,000 cancer patients, require urgent care unavailable in Gaza, where 94% of hospitals have been damaged or destroyed by the “Israeli” occupation entity [IOF], according to WHO.
In fact, the territory’s only specialized cancer hospital was destroyed by the IOF in 2025, leaving patients without chemotherapy, radiation, or diagnostic services.
Consequently, lawmakers warn that cancer diagnoses have effectively become death sentences, with reports estimating that cancer deaths have tripled since October 2023.
Meanwhile, the letter also cites the case of a six-year-old child who died after waiting for evacuation approval, alongside reports that over 1,200 people have died while awaiting medical transfer.
At the same time, it notes that the "Israeli" enemy, while citing security concerns, has largely refused to allow medical evacuations to the West Bank since 2023, despite obligations under international law.
Finally, WHO and UN reports describe Gaza’s healthcare system as near collapse, with over 930 recorded “Israeli” attacks on health facilities and more than 18,500 patients still awaiting urgent evacuation amid severe shortages of essential medicines and equipment.
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