03.02.2026 16:07
The Director General of the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, Munir al-Bursh, stated that only 5 patients were allowed to exit at the opening of the Rafah Border Crossing and that during this process, the patients faced humiliation and pressure.
The Director General of the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, Munir al-Bursh, stated that Israel allowed only 5 patients to exit on the first day of the opening of the Rafah Border Gate. Bursh noted in a written statement made on the social media platform of the US company X that Gazans were subjected to pressure and humiliation while entering their homeland, and that the patients who exited were racing against time.
"A SINGLE BUS WITH 12 PASSENGERS"
Bursh expressed that only 5 patients exited from Rafah yesterday, asking, "If the exit of 5 patients takes 20 hours, how long will it take for the evacuation of 20,000 people?" In his statement, Bursh said, "Late on Monday night, the first bus entered Gaza from the Rafah Border Gate, which had been closed for more than a year and a half. A single bus with only 12 passengers: 3 were children, and the rest were patients or accompanying women receiving treatment in hospitals in Egypt. This journey, which should have been a humanitarian return, turned into a 20-hour process of humiliation."
WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE SUBJECTED TO HARSH AND HUMILIATING INTERROGATIONS CONTINUE
Bursh reported that women and children were subjected to harsh and humiliating interrogations, noting that Palestinians were held for hours. Meanwhile, Egyptian media reported yesterday that 50 patients and 84 companions crossed from Gaza to Egypt through the Rafah Border Gate. There has been no statement from the Cairo administration regarding how many Palestinians crossed from Gaza to Egypt through the Rafah Border Gate. It was reported that 50 patients would cross to Egypt for treatment abroad every day from Rafah.