GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The Gaza Center for Human Rights has expressed deep concern over emerging arrangements surrounding the reopening of the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, warning that they effectively reproduce Israeli-imposed restrictions on Palestinians’ freedom of movement, including the rights to travel and return.
In a statement issued Thursday, the center said the reported mechanisms involve Israeli security conditions and administrative constraints that undermine a fundamental right protected under international human rights law and cannot be subjected to arbitrary political or security considerations.
The center stressed that restrictions on travel are permissible only in the narrowest circumstances and must not involve discrimination or collective punishment. It emphasized that patients and wounded Palestinians enjoy special protection and must be allowed to leave Gaza for medical treatment without delay or linkage to security formulas or numerical quotas.
It warned that security vetting, caps on traveler numbers, or imposed imbalances between those leaving and returning could deprive thousands of Palestinians of their right to travel, turning Rafah from a civilian humanitarian crossing into a tool of pressure and demographic engineering, violating the prohibition on forcible transfer under international humanitarian law.
The organization said it is closely monitoring statements by a retired Israeli general advising the Israeli army about plans to establish a heavily surveilled camp in southern Gaza, particularly in Rafah, linked to a limited reopening of the crossing. Such proposals, it said, would confine Palestinians within controlled spaces or pressure them into departure.
The center described these plans as an extension of rejected transfer schemes, noting that Israel has rendered Gaza largely unlivable through two years of genocide, including mass killings, widespread destruction, starvation policies, and the denial of medical care.
It also warned that continued restrictions on the departure of patients and wounded Palestinians threaten lives. According to Gaza’s health authorities, around 20,000 patients with completed medical referrals are awaiting permission to travel, including 440 life-saving cases. At least 1,268 patients have died while waiting for treatment abroad.
Cancer patients are among the most affected, with about 4,000 urgent cases on waiting lists, while Gaza lacks specialized treatment and diagnostic services. Some 4,500 children are also listed for medical referrals. Since the Rafah crossing was closed on May 7, 2024, only 3,100 patients have been allowed to leave Gaza.
The center categorically rejected any Israeli security screening of Gaza travelers’ names, warning that such measures amount to grave violations of freedom of movement and transform travel into a privilege granted by an occupying power with no legal authority over civilian crossings.
It concluded that the full and regular reopening of Rafah, free from arbitrary conditions, and the uninterrupted entry of medical supplies represent the last remaining lifeline for thousands of patients in Gaza. Any arrangements governing the crossing, it said, must be purely civilian and humanitarian, fully detached from Israeli security and demographic objectives.
