Gaza’s Rafah border crossing, a main entry and exit point for the territory, has reopened after eight months to allow sick and wounded Palestinians to cross over into Egypt to receive medical treatment.
Fifty patients, including children with cancer, had entered Egypt to access medical care, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The crossing had been closed since Israeli forces took control of the Gaza side in May last year.
The key gateway, a vital conduit for aid, has reopened as part of a ceasefire and hostage deal between Hamas and Israel.
Footage of the evacuees shows Palestinian children in stretchers and ambulances arriving at the border crossing.
“We have been waiting for this day impatiently,” Mai Khader Abdul Ghani, whose son, Moatasem Billah Rami Nabil Sammour, has a rare autoimmune disease, said.
She said her son was placed in intensive care at Gaza’s Nasser Hospital and had been suffering from severe pain over the past three months.
“Thank God that his name was included in the referral for treatment. I hope that his suffering comes to an end after receiving the appropriate treatment,” she said.
She added that the treatment for the disease was not available in Gaza because of the closure of crossings, a medicine shortage and the general lack of healthcare.
Her son said he had been in great pain while waiting to be referred to a hospital in Egypt.
“I have severe difficulty moving, my mouth has ulcers, and I also have difficulty eating, drinking, and everything,” he said.
Mohammed Abu Jalala was also among those accompanying relatives crossing the border for medical treatment. He said his niece Lara Abu Jalala had suffered serious injuries to her feet after a bombing, which killed her parents and three brothers.
“One foot was so badly damaged that it had to be amputated. We tried to avoid the amputation, but it had to be performed as the foot had gangrene in the bone,” he said.
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