30 July 2007: B’Tselem: Gaza Residents Are Not Pawns in the Struggle for Control of the Strip
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Waiting at the Egyptian side of the Rafah Crossing. Photo: Reuters. |
Israeli, Palestinian and European human rights organizations today issued a joint declaration calling on Israel , the Palestinian Authority, the European Union, and Egypt , to immediately open Gaza ‘s borders to passenger traffic, irrespective of their political agenda concerning Hamas. The organizations jointly stated that residents of the Strip must not be used as pawns in the struggle for control in Gaza . The continuous closure of the border crossing for more than six weeks is causing severe harm to hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents who cannot leave the Strip or return to it, impairing their ability to earn a living, receive medical treatment, or pursue education abroad. Various reports indicate that more than 20 people have already died while waiting to return to Gaza from Egypt .
[Read the report | Text of the joint call |
Background on the siege on the Gaza Strip]
Palestinian patient dies at Gaza crossing with Israel
Gaza (Reuters) – A Palestinian man seeking treatment in Israel for kidney failure died while waiting at a Gaza Strip crossing on Friday, Palestinian medics said.
Israel had agreed to allow the 27-year-old patient, identified by the medics as Wael Abu Warda, to travel from Gaza to an Israeli hospital near Tel Aviv for treatment.
Abu Warda arrived at the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel on Thursday night but was not allowed through, said Muawiyeh Hassanein, head of the ambulance and emergency department at the health ministry in Gaza.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said the request for Abu Warda to travel to an Israeli hospital had been withdrawn by Palestinian officials on Thursday.
Abu Warda had said he was told by Israel to return to Erez on Friday morning. “We sent the ambulance to Erez. They had to wait about half an hour and the man died at the crossing,” Hassanein said.
The spokeswoman said another Palestinian patient had been allowed through the crossing on Friday.
“We do not determine for the Palestinians which patients to prefer when they ask to send them to Israel for treatment,” she said.
Hamas Islamists seized control of the Gaza Strip in June, prompting Israel to largely close the main border crossings in and out of the coastal territory.
It is now December and the tighten borders have not been released by Israel. I think the Palestinians need to pull their resources, knowledge and power and start building their own hospitals and educating and training their own people. We need a solution. Palestininas need a solution.
If Israel can not assist because of their fear of Hamas terriost group. Then we must ask Palestinans took take postive action. The sick need it.