A Palestinian human rights report said that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) prevented last July 661 Palestinian patients from leaving the Gaza Strip for medical treatment in Israeli West Bank or Jerusalem hospitals.
The report which was released on Tuesday by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights stated that the IOA refuses to allow the vast majority of the Gaza citizens to leave or return to the besieged enclave through the Beit Hanoun (Erez) border crossing.
According to the report only certain groups of patients with urgent cases and their caregivers are allowed on a small scale to travel through the crossing after they undergo a very long and complicated process in order to get travel permits and are subject to tight security measures upon departure or arrival.
The IOA also rejects the travel of many patients under different pretexts including security claims often orders the changing of companions delays responses to applications for travel permits ask for new appointments and requests security interviews with patients and their companions.
The report also highlighted the Israeli ban on many Gaza exports except for very limited products mostly agricultural products.
In July the report said the exports recorded a decrease rate of 42.2 percent compared with June.
In addition the IOA continued to impose restrictions on entry of goods to Gaza classified as “dual-use items” which include around 118 types and hundreds of basic goods and commodities.
