Rally for ambulances in Gaza to demand free travel for patients

By Nour Abu Eisha
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Palestinian medics staged a rally with ambulances in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday to demand the lifting of Israeli restrictions on the movement of patients for medical attention.

The rally set out from the northern Gaza Strip to the Erez crossing, which connects the strip to the West Bank and Israel, with medics waving banners calling for saving patients in Gaza.

"The Israeli siege deprives around 50 percent of Gaza patients from their medical rights enshrined by international humanitarian law," Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said.

He warned that cancer and heart disease patients face a "tough fate" amid Israeli procrastination in issuing exit permits from Gaza, which may extend over months.

The spokesman said Palestinian patients of kidney failure also face difficult health conditions due to the severe shortages in their medicines.

“Israel still prevents the entry of 21 diagnostic radiology and X-ray devices to Gaza hospitals,” he added.

Home to 2.3 million people, Gaza has been reeling under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007, badly affecting livelihood in the seaside territory.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar