Israel deports Gaza patients from Jerusalem hospitals back to war-torn strip

Israeli authorities have reportedly expelled dozens of Palestinian patients from hospitals in Jerusalem, sending them back to the Gaza Strip on Monday. These patients, along with their families, had initially traveled to Jerusalem for medical treatment before the outbreak of the October 2023 conflict and had remained in the city since. While some had completed their treatment and expressed a desire to return home, concerns have been raised that others were forcibly deported. According to local media, two buses carrying patients and their families arrived at the Kerem Abu Salem crossing between Gaza and Israel on Monday morning. At least 89 individuals, including children born in Jerusalem, were set to be deported. Unnamed sources cited by Arab48 expressed serious concerns about the safety and conditions of the transfer, particularly given the dire state of Gaza’s healthcare system. Many of the patients fear returning to Gaza, where the health infrastructure has been devastated by Israel’s ongoing military campaign. Since the war began, over 94 percent of medical facilities in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, leaving only a handful of health centers partially operational. Hospitals have been bombed, raided, and stripped of essential supplies, while thousands of medical workers have been killed or detained. The relentless bombardment has overwhelmed the remaining healthcare services, resulting in the deaths of over 9,300 wounded and sick Palestinians since October 2023 due to the collapse of medical care and Israel’s ban on medical evacuations. With the Rafah crossing sealed since Israel’s invasion in May 2024, approximately 20,000 injured and ill individuals are now stranded, awaiting an opportunity to seek treatment abroad.