27/9/2026

Press Release

Aldameer: 531 Patients Prevented from Traveling to Receive Treatment Outside the Gaza Strip and Face the Risk of Death

Aldameer Association for Human Rights – Gaza: Thousands of patients in the Gaza Strip face a real threat to their lives as a result of being deprived of leaving the Strip to receive life-saving treatment, amid the near-total collapse of the healthcare system, and the inability of the remaining hospitals and health facilities to provide the specialized medical care required for critical medical conditions, in addition to the destruction of large numbers of hospitals and health facilities and the imposition of restrictions on the entry of medical supplies and equipment.

According to the information available to Aldameer Association for Human Rights, based on the Gaza Ministry of Health, 531 male and female patients have been prevented from leaving the Gaza Strip to receive the specialized treatment required by their health conditions, including 371 men and 160 women, and 90 children, depriving them of timely access to the necessary medical care and exposing their lives to serious risks.

It also reported that 20,540 patients suffer from serious illnesses and are in urgent need of traveling to receive treatment outside the Gaza Strip, including 5,342 children. In addition, 2,194 patients require urgent medical evacuation, while 189 patients are struggling with death amid extremely critical health conditions.

According to the data and reports issued by the Crossings and Borders Authority, the number of patients who have been allowed to leave the Gaza Strip to receive treatment, since the reopening of the Rafah Crossing on 2 February 2026 until 22 September 2026, does not exceed 7,618 patients out of the total number of patients awaiting medical evacuation and treatment outside the Strip.

Aldameer Association for Human Rights considers that the continued denial of patients’ access to specialized treatment cannot be separated from the widespread destruction of the means of life in the Gaza Strip, and the resulting imposition on the population of living and health conditions that threaten their lives and survival.

Preventing patients from accessing treatment, amid the widespread collapse of the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip and the destruction or disruption of large numbers of health facilities, does not merely constitute a restriction on freedom of movement and mobility, but may, in cases of actual deprivation of treatment and the transformation of illness into a direct threat to life, lead to deaths that could have been prevented.

Aldameer Association for Human Rights affirms that patients and wounded persons enjoy special protection under the rules of international humanitarian law, which require parties to the conflict to respect and protect the sick and wounded and ensure their access to necessary medical care without discrimination, and to take feasible measures to facilitate their access to treatment and their medical evacuation when necessary. Furthermore, depriving patients of access to necessary treatment, particularly in cases where appropriate care is not available within the Gaza Strip, raises serious concerns regarding respect for the right to health and life, freedom of movement, and the obligations arising under international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

Accordingly, Aldameer Association for Human Rights calls upon the international community, the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Special Rapporteur on the right to health, and the States Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to take immediate and effective action to compel Israel to ensure the urgent and safe medical evacuation of patients and wounded persons from the Gaza Strip, and to lift the unlawful restrictions imposed on their freedom of movement and travel and their right to treatment.

Aldameer Association for Human Rights – Gaza