Gaza Health Ministry Cites 21,000 Waiting to Exit

Israeli attacks on Gaza intensified on Thursday while local health officials renewed their request to open the Rafah border crossing.

The Gaza Ministry of Health stated that 21,468 patients and wounded individuals currently require travel abroad for medical care. Within that group, 6,430 are classified as priority cases. The ministry attributed the worsening condition of these patients to repeated border closures and delays in evacuation procedures. It reported that dozens of people have died while awaiting permission to leave, and the health of thousands more has deteriorated.

In the past 24 hours, the ministry recorded six deaths and 38 injuries across the territory. Attacks continued at a high pace throughout the day. Drone strikes hit the centre and north of the Gaza Strip. In central Gaza, an Israeli drone fired two missiles at a civilian car in the Maghazi refugee camp. The strike killed two Palestinians and wounded several others. Those injured were transported to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. One patient remains in critical condition. The strike occurred without prior warning, according to local reporting.

Earlier in the day, a strike in Jabalia in northern Gaza wounded one person. That individual was taken to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Fighting also escalated east of Jabalia in the Halawa camp. Israeli forces positioned along the Yellow Line began firing at tents housing displaced families. In eastern Gaza City, artillery shelling caused explosions in the Shujayea, Tuffah, and Zeitoun neighbourhoods. Israeli forces also conducted large-scale demolitions in areas behind the Yellow Line. These demolitions took place east of Deir el-Balah, Khan Younis, and Gaza City, as well as in Beit Lahiya.

In the al-Mawasi area of Rafah, four Palestinians were buried at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. They were killed in a drone strike near the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem crossings. The victims were civilian employees of the Ministry of Economy who monitor aid trucks. More than 30 others were wounded in that attack. Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians currently live in tents in al-Mawasi. Israel had previously designated this area as a safe zone.

Additional injuries were reported when Israeli artillery struck a house east of Gaza City. Emergency services confirmed that 11 people, including women and children, were wounded. Since February, the ministry said 3,056 patients and wounded people have been evacuated for treatment abroad. Of those, 2,614 left through Rafah and 442 through the Karem Abu Salem crossing.