15 patients evacuated from Gaza through Rafah crossing under Israeli restrictions

By Ramzi Mahmoud

GAZA CITY / Palestine (AA) - The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said Wednesday it evacuated 15 patients and 31 companions from the Gaza Strip to Egypt through the Rafah crossing, on the third day of the terminal’s limited reopening under strict Israeli restrictions.

Raed al-Nems, a spokesperson for the organization, told Anadolu that the evacuation was carried out as part of ongoing humanitarian efforts to secure urgent medical treatment for patients outside Gaza.

Israel reopened the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on Monday, which it has occupied since May 2024, allowing only highly restricted and tightly controlled movement.

Al-Nems said coordination for the travel of patients and wounded individuals was abruptly suspended earlier in the day, before the World Health Organization (WHO) later informed the Red Crescent that coordination had resumed, enabling evacuation procedures to continue.

According to the spokesperson, patients gathered at the Palestinian Red Crescent’s medical rehabilitation hospital in Khan Younis, where they received necessary care before being transported by Red Crescent ambulances to the Rafah crossing and accompanied through the departure process.

He said patient travel is facilitated through the WHO in cooperation with international partners, despite what he described as severe humanitarian challenges facing Gaza’s health sector.

Meanwhile, Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News channel reported that a third group of Palestinians had arrived on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing in preparation for entry into Gaza, without specifying numbers or whether Israel would allow their return.

Health authorities in Gaza estimate that around 22,000 wounded and sick patients are seeking to leave the enclave for treatment abroad, amid the near-collapse of the healthcare system due to Israel’s genocidal war.

Although Israeli and Egyptian media had previously reported that up to 50 Palestinians would be allowed to cross daily in each direction, the numbers have fallen far short. Since the reopening began, only limited groups have crossed in both directions.

Under Israeli conditions, only Palestinians who left Gaza after the outbreak of the war are permitted to return, following intensive security screening.

The Israeli army has continued to violate a ceasefire agreement that took effect on Oct. 10, 2025 despite the US administration’s announcement in January that the second phase of the deal had begun. That phase includes additional Israeli withdrawals from Gaza and the launch of reconstruction efforts, which the UN estimates will cost about $70 billion.

The ceasefire ended an Israeli offensive that began in October 2023 and lasted two years, killing nearly 72,000 Palestinians and wounding over 171,000 others, while destroying about 90% of Gaza’s infrastructure.

*Written by Tarek Chouiref in Istanbul