Palestinian health minister sees no indication that Israel will reopen Rafah crossing soon

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - Palestinian Health Minister Maged Abu Ramadan said Wednesday there is no indication that Israel will reopen the Rafah crossing soon, urging states to increase pressure on Tel Aviv to let in aid and fuel.

"This is totally in the hands of the Israelis," Abu Ramadan said at a meeting in Geneva with the Association of the Accredited Correspondents to the United Nations (ACANU).

He noted that even before the closure, which occurred in early May, Israel was preventing the crossing of many patients, as such referrals require permission from the Israeli side.

He said the closure of the crossing not only "complicated the picture" for humanitarian assistance but also for needed medical evacuations.

"Those who cannot be treated in Gaza are forbidden from going to Egypt and somewhere else for the treatment they need," he said. "What matters is that there is a crime against humanity. With one or a million (dead), that doesn't change the situation.

"At the moment, people are deprived of almost all aspects of health services," he added.

Regarding the recognition of Palestine as a state by Spain, Ireland and Norway, Abu Ramadan hailed the action taken by the three countries, calling it a "courageous decision" and thanking them.

He said the move would have a "great political, positive input on the case of Palestine, wherever it will be discussed."

"I urge all other European countries to follow this courageous step," he said.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 last year following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the enclave.

More than 37,171 people have since been killed and 81,420 others injured in the enclave, the vast majority being women and children, and vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Despite an international outcry, Israel continues its attacks on the city, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

The Israeli military bombed the tents of displaced Palestinians in a Rafah camp on Sunday, killing at least 45 people including 23 women, a number of children and elderly people and injuring 249.