Twenty-one cancer patients crossed from the war-torn Gaza Strip into Egypt on Thursday via the Kerem Shalom crossing, a medical source in Egypt’s El-Arish city disclosed. They are scheduled for medical treatment in the United Arab Emirates, as confirmed by an anonymous source speaking to AFP due to restrictions on media communication.
This marks the first evacuation from Gaza since early May, when Israeli forces assumed control of the Rafah border crossing, stalling negotiations for its reopening—a vital route for aid and evacuations. Cairo has refrained from resuming operations there while Israeli control persists.
Although some aid trucks have redirected to the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, humanitarian sources report fewer than 90 trucks entering Gaza daily. The United Nations underscores a minimum of 500 trucks daily to meet essential needs in the embattled region.
The UN has repeatedly warned of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, devastated by ongoing conflict and scarce supplies. Hospitals struggle amid dwindling resources, exacerbated by the loss of at least 37,765 lives in the past eight months, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
