Ref: 83/2021

Date: 13 June 2021

Time: 12:00 GMT

Despite the ongoing Israeli authorities’ arbitrary policies imposed to deprive Palestinian injured of their right to travel for treatment abroad, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)’s lawyers “upon a petition filed to the Israeli District Court in Jerusalem” managed to obtain a travel permit for a man injured namely Majd al-‘Ijlah (21) in order to receive treatment at al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron to save his life. 

It should be noted that al-‘Ijlah was injured on 15 May 2021, Day 6 of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, in an Israeli airstrike that destroyed a commercial shop in Shuja’iyya neighborhood in Gaza City. As a result, al-‘Ijlah sustained serious wounds in his head and abdomen.

Since he was injured, al-‘Ijlah has been on a ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at al-Shifa Hospital. Due to lack of medical capabilities necessary for his treatment at the Gaza Strip’s hospitals, he obtained a medical referral to al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron on 30 May 2021. Many applications were applied by the Palestinian competent authorities to allow his travel via an ICU ambulance, but the Israeli authorities refused, inhumanely exploiting the suffering and pain of the wounded. As a result, al-‘Ijlah’s heath condition seriously deteriorated and his life has became at an imminent danger.

Accordingly, within their non-stop legal efforts exerted to save the lives of those wounded and patients, PCHR’s lawyers intervened and quickly took the necessary legal proceedings. They filed an urgent challenge to the Israeli Public Prosecution in Jerusalem on the same day.

Due to the Israeli Public Prosecution’s procrastination over six days to consider the challenge submitted by PCHR, an urgent petition was filed to the Israeli District Court in Jerusalem on 06 June 2021. Following 48 hours of vigorous follow-up, the Israeli District Court issued a decision that obliges the Israeli Public Prosecution to respond to the challenge until Friday, 11 June 2021. On Friday morning, the Israeli Public Prosecution sent its response to the Israeli District Court in Jerusalem, saying that the Israeli Public Prosecution approved the travel of al-‘Ijlah for treatment along with his companion on the same day via an ICU ambulance.

It should be mentioned that on the same day Majd al-‘Ijlah was injured, his cousin namely Yahia al-‘Ijlah was injured as well, but succumbed to his wounds on 03 June 2021 due to the Israeli authorities’ banning his travel for treatment.

It is also noteworthy that as part of the unremitting efforts exerted by PCHR’s lawyers to save the lives of those injured during the latest Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, PCHR managed to obtain travel permits for 3 persons injured in order to receive treatment in the hospitals of Jerusalem and the West Bank.

In the same context, through their initiation and follow-up of the legal proceedings to save the lives of patients for the last few days, PCHR’s lawyers managed to obtain a travel permit for a child “‘A, A.” (16), a cancer patient, to receive treatment in Jordan and another permit for a pregnant woman “Y. A.” (28), a heart patient, to receive treatment in Jerusalem while they could obtain a travel permit for (M. A.) (72) to al-Makassed Hospital in Jerusalem in order to undergo a surgery that is not available in the Gaza Strip.

The number of Gaza Strip’s cancer patients, who are in need for receiving or continuing their treatment abroad, is 7800 as the Strip’s hospitals lack an alternative and adequate treatment; and their cases require periodic receipt of chemo and radiotherapy.  The health conditions of these patients deteriorate, and it is feared that the lives of tens of them would be at imminent danger if they were not allowed to travel promptly to continue their treatment protocols.

PCHR emphasizes that patients and injured persons’ right to receive immediate and adequate treatment is guaranteed under the international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Therefore, the Israeli authorities’ systematic policy of banning patients and injured persons from traveling for treatment and aggravating their suffering constitute a flagrant violation of the international humanitarian law.

PCHR emphasizes that despite the Israeli occupation authorities’ arbitrary policies and exploitation of patients and injured persons’ pains in order to increase their sufferings, PCHR will continue its legal work and struggle to enable them to have their right to receive treatment that is guaranteed by both the humanitarian law and international human rights law.