Waiting for treatment, 6 ill Gazans die in 24 hours, due to the Israeli siege

Date: 08 / 08 / 2008 Time: 11:40
Gaza – Ma'an –

Six Palestinian patients from the Gaza Strip died in 24 hours waiting for medical treatment outside the Gaza Strip, due to the Israeli siege of 1.5 million people, hundreds of others are still waiting for permission to travel.

Spokesman for the Popular Committee Against the Blockade (PCAB) Rami Abdu quoted medical sources when he announced the deaths on Friday.

Among the dead are 33-year-old Wael Mohammad Arafat who died Thursday as a result of his heart disease; Mohammed Al-Sayed Junaid an old man from Jabalia, north of Gaza City where he suffered from kidney failure. Medical sources confirmed that Junaid had all necessary medical documents but was denied permission to receive treatment abroad. Ibrahim Jaber Al-Ghoul from Gaza City also died Thursday. He suffered from cancer and was denied permission to seek treatment outside Gaza.

On Wednesday night Nafissa Hosni 'Ashour a resident of Khan Younis died while she waited for treatment for her worsening cancer. Ashour had filmed an appeal to be run on Al-Aqsa TV asking for the Rafah border to be opened so she and others could receive treatment.

Also on Wednesday was the death of 60-year-old Naima Abdel-Hamid Yassin, who was suffering from leukemia and Hanadi Mohammed Salem, another elderly cancer patient who was prevented from traveling.

PCAB sent an appeal to the Egyptian government to make every effort to open the crossing at least for patients seeking medical treatment.

PCAB keeps track of the number of Gazans who have died waiting for medical treatment abroad, and says that on Thursday evening the number reached 233.

Death toll 233 due to the Israeli siege on the Gaza strip

Friday August 08, 2008 12:06 by Rula Shahwan & Marina Ayyoub - IMEMC Editorial Group

Medical sources reported on Friday morning that the number of patients who have died in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli siege has reached 233 as six more patients died today at the Rafah crossing.

Locals in The Gaza Strip are calling on international communities for a quick intervention to end the imposed siege on the Gaza strip and open the Rafah crossing so that patients can leave the strip to seek medical care. Hundreds of patients in Gaza are at risk if they don’t get immediate life-saving treatment. As the siege continues there are serious shortages of medical supplies available in the strip.

The Gaza siege claims the lives of 6 patients in 24 hours

[ 08/08/2008 - 11:26 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Spokesman for the Popular Committee Against the Siege (PCAS), Rami Abdu, announced on Thursday evening the death of six patients raising the number of patients who died as a result of the siege to 233.

Abdu said that 33-year-old Wael Arafat who suffered heart problems died as a result of lack of medication and being barred from seeking medical treatment abroad as a result of the Israeli imposed siege on the Gaza Strip.

The family of Muhammad Junaid, an elderly patient suffering renal failure, had prepared all the paperwork needed for him to be able to travel abroad for medical treatment, but the siege meant that he had to stay and die in Gaza.

Ibrahim al-Ghoul, another elderly patient, also died as a result of lack of medicine and being barred from travelling abroad to seek treatment.

The death of three other patients was announced on Thursday by PCAS; Nafisa Ashour, Naima Yassin and salim al-Hanady, all of them were cancer patients who were denied seeking treatment outside the Gaza Strip because of the siege.

Abdu called on the Egyptian authorities to open the Rafah crossing, at least for emergency cases such as stranded patients and students.

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