Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights revealed the figures in a statement, condemning the Israeli blockade on the coastal enclave that has resulted in its healthcare service being brought “to its knees”, in the words of the World Health Organisation.
The Human Rights group pointed out that the number of deaths among Gazan patients has increased to 15 after the IOA deprived two women of receiving treatment outside the Gaza Strip.
The cases of two women who were refused travel documentation on numerous occasions were cited: Kaenat Jarour, a 42-year-old uterine cancer patient, and Faten Ahmed, a 26-year-old woman who died as a result of a brain tumour due to Israel’s refusal to allow her to re-enter Jerusalem where she had initially received treatment.
Four patients whose travel applications were approved attempted to make the journey to the West Bank, Jerusalem or the occupied territories, only to be arrested alongside their family members at the Beit Hanoun crossing. Others who make the journey are often beaten and interrogated at checkpoints by Israeli occupying authorities.
“The Israeli government shirks its international legal obligations by denying residents of Gaza the flow of necessary medical relief and supplies into Gaza, while simultaneously denying and delaying the movement that residents require to seek the care outside of Gaza”, the statement added.
Al-Mezan called on the international community to act urgently to stop the ongoing Israeli violations and pressure Israel to lift the blockade imposed on Gaza and let patients travel for treatment.
As Gaza’s two million residents struggle to survive with a maximum of only four hours of electricity a day, an estimated 40 per cent of necessary drugs are also unavailable or will be depleted within a month.
The figures come as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres makes a visit to Gaza. In a statement last night, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum called on Guterres to pressure Israeli occupation authorities to lift the siege on the Strip and end the humanitarian crisis.
Last month, Palestinians protested at the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) condemning the international organisation’s failure to stem the crisis. Many described the UN’s inaction as tacit approval of the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
A report released by the UN last month raised concerns that the Strip is “de-developing” faster than anticipated, such that the 2020 deadline by which it was said that Gaza would be “unliveable” may have already arrived.
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