Arabic version: الكونغرس الأمريكي يحث إسرائيل على السماح بإجلاء مرضى السرطان من غزة
More than 60 members of the United States Congress have called on Israel to lift restrictions on Palestinian cancer patients in Gaza so that they may seek treatment in hospitals in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. This appeal, signed by 51 House members and 11 Senators, was directed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and includes prominent figures such as Senators Bernie Sanders and Chris Van Hollen and Representatives Madeleine Dean and Greg Casar.
According to Al Jazeera, the letter calls on the administration of President Donald Trump to facilitate the medical evacuation of child cancer patients along with their caretakers, while also seeking Israeli guarantees for their return to Gaza. Deyar Jamil, a fellow at the human rights group DAWN, emphasized that there should be no controversy surrounding the need for children with cancer to access lifesaving treatment.
The healthcare system in Gaza has been severely impacted, with the United Nations estimating that about 11,000 cancer patients are currently living in Gaza, where Israel’s systematic destruction of the healthcare system has left them unable to obtain adequate treatment. The World Health Organization reports that 94 percent of Gaza’s hospitals were destroyed or damaged during Israel’s genocidal war on the Palestinian territory, which began in October 2023, leading to a dramatic increase in cancer-related deaths.
The letter highlights that the limited medical evacuations allowed by Israeli authorities are insufficient to meet the urgent needs of patients. Tragically, at least 1,200 individuals have died in Gaza while waiting for evacuation approvals, including a six-year-old boy with leukemia named Ghazal, who spent the last two months of his life hoping for permission to leave.
Despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect in October 2025, Israeli forces continue to conduct strikes in Gaza and restrict humanitarian assistance. The letter proposes establishing a medical corridor to facilitate necessary travel out of Gaza and notes that hospitals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are ready to assist these patients. Urging immediate action, the letter states that the only obstacle between these patients and the treatment they desperately need is the Israeli government’s approval of their evacuation requests.
