Another ill Palestinian dies after being denied exit from Gaza for treatment

Thursday November 22, 2007 11:35 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC

Just two days after a twelve-year old Palestinian child died after being prevented by Israeli forces from exiting Gaza, a 21-year old man with testicular cancer has also died after being denied exit.

Israeli vehicle patrols closed border with Gaza

Nael al-Kurdi died a slow and painful death, the agony made all the worse because it could have been prevented.  He was one of eleven plaintiffs on a lawsuit challenging the Israeli closure of all entries and exits into Gaza, but the Israeli court ruled against him and six of the others.

One of the other plaintiffs has already died since the ruling came through last week.  As for al-Kurdi, he had been waiting for months for an Israeli-issued permit to cross the border to a hospital, and during that time his condition continued to deteriorate.  By the time the lawsuit was filed by the Israeli group Physicians for Human Rights, al-Kurdi was completely bedridden and unable to walk.

One week later, al-Kurdi has died – denied medical care due to Israeli ‘security’ restrictions.  Prior to the full closure of Gaza by Israeli forces, al-Kurdi had been able to receive chemotherapy in Egypt, and his tumor had shrunk by 50%.  But since June, when the full closure of Gaza was implemented, he has been unable to go to Egypt, Israel or anywhere outside of Gaza for treatment – and the few hospitals in Gaza are not equipped to provide him with chemotherapy.  This, too, is due to the Israeli closure, which prevents medicine and medical equipment from being brought into Gaza.

Miri Weingarten, an Israeli who works for Physicians for Human Rights, stated, "I feel that the state of Israel has reached a situation in which it really disregards human life and dignity when you're talking about Palestinians," she said.  "And this case is so clear-cut."

The death of al-Kurdi has sparked anger among Palestinians in Gaza, including the 5,000 who are still waiting on the Egypt-Gaza border to be able to cross.  They have been stuck there for months, many of them frail patients who went to Egypt to get medical treatment, because Israeli forces have refused to allow the border to be opened.

gaza strip | human rights | news report saed at imemc dot org