Israeli occupation authorities have refused to allow a five‑year‑old Palestinian child, originally from Gaza but residing in Ramallah, to receive urgent medical treatment in a hospital inside the 1948 territories.
Israeli officials cited the child’s registered address in Gaza as grounds for denial, despite his family’s relocation to the West Bank in 2022 for medical care.
The petition on behalf of the family was filed by Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement to the Jerusalem District Court.
The organization argued that the decision constitutes a flagrant violation of both international and domestic laws guaranteeing the right to health and human dignity.
Gisha explained that the child’s current treatment has failed, and he urgently requires a bone marrow transplant, a procedure unavailable in either the West Bank or Gaza.
Lawyers representing the organization stressed that preventing the child from accessing life‑saving treatment breaches Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law, human rights conventions, and its own legal framework.
They emphasized that the denial amounts to collective punishment based on residency status rather than medical need.
Israeli authorities responded that the child could attempt to travel to a third country via the Karama crossing with Jordan or seek assistance from international organizations under medical evacuation procedures from Gaza.
The child’s mother reported that his condition is deteriorating rapidly. He suffers from severe immune deficiency and is unable to walk. She confirmed that the hospital inside Israel is prepared to admit him immediately, stressing that the government’s policy of permitting only third‑country transfers does not absolve Israel of its responsibility to provide medical care to Palestinian civilians under occupation.
Last month, five human rights organizations, including Physicians for Human Rights Israel, HaMoked, Adalah, ACRI, and Gisha, submitted petitions to Israel’s Supreme Court demanding the resumption of medical evacuations from Gaza to hospitals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, procedures that were standard before October 7, 2023.
The petitions highlighted that approximately 16,500 patients in Gaza, most of them children, women, and the elderly, face life‑threatening risks due to the collapse of healthcare access.
Rights groups hold Israel accountable for safeguarding civilian lives and preventing further loss.
The case of the five‑year‑old child underscores the wider humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians denied access to essential medical care. Rights advocates warn that Israel’s restrictive policies not only contravene international law but also place thousands of vulnerable patients at risk of preventable death.
