The Popular Committee Against Siege (PCAS) issued a statement of Thursday accusing Israel of committing war crimes against the patients of the Gaza Strip as those patients need medical treatment outside the Gaza Strip but are barred from leaving it.The PCAS stated that a total of 122 patients, including children, died in Gaza Strip hospital due to the ongoing siege which emptied the hospitals from the needed medications, medical supplies and equipment.
The patients were referred to hospitals outside the Gaza Strip but were barred from leaving the area by the Israeli Authorities.
The PCAS stated that on Thursday patient Jamal Al Halabi, 30, died of skin cancer after he was barred from leaving the Gaza Strip for medical treatment.
Spokesperson of the PCAS, Rami Abdo, stated that the family of Al Halabi said that it repeatedly attempted to obtain a permit for their son to leave Gaza but their efforts ended in failure.
Abdo added that the rising number of deaths among the patients in Gaza is mainly attributed to the Israeli siege and Israel’s refusal to allow the patients to leave the coastal region for medical treatment.
Since January 2008, Israel rejected 20 – 30% of the applications for medical treatment outside the Gaza Strip, many of the patients are women and children.
In February Israel rejected applications for 67 patients, while 411 students out of 968, who study in neighboring Arab universities have been barred from leaving the Gaza Strip after they entered it to visit their families.
Abdo called on the international human rights groups and the World Health Organization to intervene and uncover the Israeli violations.
