Gaza’s Sick And Wounded Await a Lifeline in Rafah

Two-year-old Umama was born with a serious heart condition. Her doctor says she needs urgent surgery, but that can only be done outside of Gaza, where more than two years of war have decimated the health system. Medical evacuations could extend to Umama and others with the reopening of a border crossing into Egypt expected soon. Once a main transit point, the Rafah crossing has been mostly closed since Israeli soldiers seized it in May 2024. Israel agreed to reopen it under an October cease-fire deal with Hamas, but delayed it until the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza were returned. Even people with urgent cases, including some of those wounded during the war, have been unable to leave for months. Mohammed al-Ser suffered a severe head injury in June that left him partially paralyzed. Shortly after this interview, he underwent cranial surgery, but doctors say he needs care outside Gaza to fully recover. Since the closure of Rafah, Israel has allowed a limited number of medical evacuations through other routes, but the numbers are far from the 20,000 of those needing treatment abroad, according to the health ministry in Gaza. Local health officials say that hundreds have died waiting. Twelve-year-old Sami Saad suffers from acute liver failure. His doctor said that adequate testing and diagnosis for him are not available in Gaza. Israeli authorities said that the reopening of Rafah will allow what they described as limited movement of people. It remains unclear which evacuees will be prioritized. For now, all anyone can do is hope.