Palestinian patients enter Egypt as Rafah crossing opens after nine months

After nearly nine months, the Rafah border crossing has reopened for the first time, allowing sick and injured Palestinian patients from the Gaza Strip to travel to Egypt for overseas medical treatment. The Gaza Health Ministry stated on Saturday that a total of 50 patients, accompanied by 61 caregivers, had entered Egypt through the Rafah crossing.

Footage from Egyptian television showed ambulances from the Palestinian Red Crescent arriving at the crossing, with several children being carried out on stretchers and transferred to ambulances on the Egyptian side. Many patients suffer from chronic illnesses, including cancer, and have been unable to receive treatment during Israel's 15-month-long war.

According to a ceasefire agreement reached between Hamas and Israel on January 19, a total of 400 Palestinians will be allowed to leave Gaza. The reopening of the Rafah crossing is a major breakthrough in the agreement. Israel agreed to reopen the crossing after Hamas released the last living female hostage in Gaza. Additionally, Hamas released three Israeli hostages earlier on Saturday in exchange for over 180 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Mohammed Zaqout, director of hospitals at the Gaza Health Ministry, stated that more than 6,000 Palestinian patients are ready to be evacuated abroad, with at least 12,000 patients in urgent need of treatment. He pointed out that the small number of people planned for evacuation does not meet the needs, "We hope that this number can be increased." Alva Damon, founder of the International Network for Aid, Relief and Assistance (INARA), described to Al Jazeera the "arduous" process of evacuating approximately 2,500 Palestinian children from Gaza who require life-saving medical care.

Damon explained that the children's parents or guardians must first apply for medical evacuation. The Gaza Health Ministry then reviews the cases and categorizes patients based on the urgency of their needs. "Next, there needs to be coordination with Israel to approve each name of those requesting evacuation," Damon added. "Then, there also needs to be coordination with the WHO to evacuate the children from Gaza and to third countries that agree to receive them for medical care." Damon stated that the process "has been very painful," "very slow," and "simply cannot provide treatment for all those who need it."

During Israel's 15-month-long assault on the Gaza Strip, the health sector in Gaza has been severely impacted, with most hospitals unable to function. Tens of thousands of Palestinians injured in Israeli bombardments and ground offensives have suffered due to a lack of proper medical care. The Israeli army closed the Rafah crossing after occupying it in May 2024. Egypt subsequently closed its side of the crossing in protest.

Even before the war in Gaza, Palestinians heavily relied on the crossing, frequently applying for permits to travel outside the territory for life-saving treatment, including chemotherapy, that was unavailable in the region. The management of the crossing has faced complex issues. Israel has long accused Hamas of using its control of the border to smuggle weapons, a claim that Egypt has denied. Israel has also refused to allow the Palestinian Authority (PA) to formally take over the management of the crossing.

A European diplomat, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Associated Press that the crossing would be run by Palestinians from Gaza who had previously served as border officials for the Palestinian Authority, but they would not be allowed to wear official PA insignia. Observers from the European Union will also be present, as they were before 2007. "This will support Palestinian border personnel and allow individuals, including those in need of medical care, to leave Gaza," Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, wrote on X, referring to its monitoring mission at the crossing.