Israel blocks medical evacuations from Gaza to the West Bank incl East Jerusalem and Genocide Debate tomorrow in Parliament

Posted: 4th February 2026

I’m writing to update you on urgent work Britain Palestine Project (BPP) has been doing on a critical, issue: Israel’s continued ban on medical transfers for patients in Gaza to hospitals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. On 29 January, our Chair Andrew Whitley wrote to the Foreign Secretary to press the UK Government to act on Israel’s refusal to allow seriously ill Palestinians in Gaza to access nearby Palestinian hospitals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. See Letter HERE
In his letter, Andrew:

Commended the UK for evacuating seriously ill and injured children from Gaza for specialist treatment — a decision that has saved lives.
Highlighted a stark and urgent inconsistency: while the UK is helping to evacuate patients, Israel is blocking access to the closest and most appropriate hospitals that Gaza patients historically relied on — in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, one hours drive away.
Referred to Israel’s position in court (set out in late January), where the government argued that allowing transfers creates “security risks” — including hypothetical scenarios involving exploitation of patients.
Underlined the human reality: this is not an abstract policy dispute. It leaves thousands of patients with no realistic prospect of receiving appropriate care, and amounts in practice to a death sentence for many civilians.
Noted the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health has stated its readiness — and that West Bank and East Jerusalem hospitals can receive patients immediately, if Israel allows transit.
Pointed out the illogic and cruelty of allowing some patients to travel thousands of miles for treatment abroad while blocking them from travelling a short distance to East Jerusalem or the West Bank. Emphasised practical humanitarian safeguards:
- any transfer system must include both injured and chronically ill patients,
- children must be allowed to travel with a parent/carer,and,
- when medically possible, patients should be allowed to return to Gaza (too often evacuees are left stranded away from home and family).

He also set out the international humanitarian law concern: a blanket refusal to facilitate medical access — justified by generalised security claims — sits uneasily with the duties of an occupying power to ensure medical care, and raises profound legal and moral questions when it leads to foreseeable preventable deaths. BPP urge the UK Government to raise this directly and firmly with the Israeli government, stressing that restoring transfers would be a minimum humanitarian corrective, not a “political concession”.

Alongside the letter, BPP circulated a detailed briefing to Members of Parliament setting out the facts, the legal context, and clear recommendations for UK action. Key points from the briefing include:

What has changed since October 2023: Before the war, it was routine for Gaza patients to be referred for specialised care to Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem and the West Bank — around 2,000 patients per month left Gaza for treatment, with major referral hospitals including Augusta Victoria and al-Makassed in East Jerusalem. Since October 2023, Israel has barred these internal medical transfers — despite allowing some patients to travel abroad — leaving critically ill people trapped without access to care. The briefing states that over 18,500 patients now require treatment outside Gaza, including over 4,000 children. It reports that more than 1,000 patients have died while waiting for access to care. In November 2025, five Israeli human rights organisations petitioned Israel’s High Court to compel the state to resume transfers. In its response (filed January 2026), the Israeli government cited unspecified security risks but offered no evidence that gravely ill patients themselves pose a threat.
The briefing highlights that Israel has permitted some patients to leave Gaza for treatment in third countries — but continues to deny access to closer Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The briefing points MPs to core obligations and prohibitions under the Fourth Geneva Convention, including:

duties to ensure food and medical supplies and maintain medical services (often discussed in relation to Articles 55 and 56), and
the prohibition on collective punishment (Article 33).

What BPP asked MPs to press the UK Government to do:

Publicly urge Israel to reverse the ban on internal medical transfers as an urgent humanitarian imperative,
pursue quiet diplomacy and coordinated pressure with allies (US/EU/regional partners),
support legal and humanitarian efforts defending patients’ rights (including the High Court petitions),
explicitly condemn any form of collective punishment, and
prepare contingencies by continuing to support medical evacuations abroad while pushing for restoration of access to nearby Palestinian hospitals.

Finally, tomorrow (Thursday 5 February 2026) there is a House of Commons general debate titled: “General Debate on Obligation to Assess the Risk of Genocide Under International Law in Relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territories”

The debate has been initiated by Brendan O’Hara MP. A full briefing on the debate by the Caabu HERE and by ICJP HERE

This debate matters. It provides a formal opportunity for MPs to raise the UK’s legal responsibilities, the duty to prevent grave violations, and the urgent humanitarian consequences of current policy choices — including, crucially, the denial of life-saving medical access.

What you can do today: If you are able, please consider:

Emailing your MP today asking them to attend and speak in tomorrow’s debate, and to raise the issue of medical transfers for Gaza patients to East Jerusalem/West Bank hospitals.

Sharing this update with friends and colleagues who may want to encourage their MP to take part.

With thanks for your continued support,

With best wishes,
Dr Brian Brivati, Executive Director
Britain Palestine Project

Full Briefing on Medical Evacuations
Summary
Israel has, since October 2023, barred patients in Gaza from traveling to hospitals in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem – a practice that was routine before the war and was protected by Israeli and international law. This ban on internal medical transfers has left thousands of critically ill Gaza residents stranded without proper care. Over 18,500 patients (including over 4,000 children) now need treatment outside Gaza, and more than 1,000 have died waiting for care. Israeli authorities do allow some Gaza residents to seek treatment abroad, and the UK has assisted in this programme, yet Israel denies access to closer Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem and the West Bank – an hour’s drive. This policy raises urgent legal and moral concerns under international humanitarian law – notably potential collective punishment, – and undermines Israel’s obligations as an occupying power to ensure medical care for the population. It aldo raises the question of if the patients go abroad have a right of return.

Key Facts

Pre-War Medical Transfers: Before October 2023, it was customary for Gaza patients to be referred to Palestinian hospitals in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, for specialized care. Approximately 2,000 Gaza residents per month exited Gaza for treatment (the monthly average of patient permit applications in the first half of 2023 was about 1,580), often at East Jerusalem’s Augusta Victoria and al-Makassed hospitals (which together received over 40% of Gaza’s medical referrals). For example, about 30% of Augusta Victoria Hospital’s beds were filled by Gaza patients prior to the war.
Current Ban on Internal Transfers: Following the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023 and the outbreak of war, Israel shut all crossings for people leaving Gaza. The Israeli government confirmed in January 2026 that it is “standing by its refusal” to allow seriously ill Gaza residents to travel to the West Bank including East Jerusalem for treatment. This blanket ban remains in place, with only one known exception – in January 2026 an Israeli court (Jerusalem District Court) ordered a Gaza cancer patient be allowed to go to the West Bank for urgent treatment. Israeli officials characterized that court order as an exceptional deviation from policy.
High Court Petitions: In November 2025, five Israeli human rights groups – including Physicians for Human Rights–Israel, Gisha, HaMoked, Adalah, and ACRI – petitioned Israel’s High Court to compel the state to resume medical evacuations from Gaza to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The petitions argue that Israel’s ban violates its legal obligations (under both Israeli and international law) to protect the lives of Palestinians in Gaza, which remains under Israel’s effective control. The Israeli government’s response to the High Court (filed January 2026) cited unspecified “security risks” – claiming that letting Gaza residents go to the West Bank or Israel for treatment could be exploited by hostile actors – but offered no evidence that the gravely ill patients themselves pose any security threat.
Human Impact and Mortality: Gaza’s health system has been devastated by the war, creating a dire need for external care. As of early 2026, over 18,500 patients (many with cancer, organ failure, war injuries, etc.) are on waiting lists for evacuation, approved by the WHO, because their needed treatments are unavailable in Gaza. Over 4,000 of these patients are children. The consequence of the transfer ban has been deadly: more than 1,000 patients have died while waiting for permission to access care outside Gaza. Health officials warn that every week of delay means more preventable deaths.
Overseas Treatment vs. Local Access: Israeli authorities have been permitting some Gaza residents to travel abroad for treatment in third countries, while still denying access to Palestinian hospitals next door. In its court filing, the government noted that 4,370 Gaza residents have been evacuated for treatment overseas (to countries such as the UAE, Romania, Jordan, Turkey, France, Italy, Belgium, Egypt, etc.). However, Israel continues to block all transfers to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, effectively undercutting Palestinian medical institutions.

The Rafah Crossing: Limited Lifeline and Return Concerns

With internal routes closed, the Rafah crossing on Gaza’s border with Egypt has become the only gateway for patients to exit Gaza for treatment abroad. In theory, opening Rafah more fully could allow additional Gaza patients to reach hospitals in Egypt, Jordan, and beyond. Indeed, since the war began, patients have been evacuated out of Gaza through Rafah to third-country hospitals (often via Egyptian field hospitals and then onward by air). However, the Rafah route remains a very difficult and limited lifeline compared to access to the West Bank (including East Jerusalem):

Tight Caps on Exits: Under current arrangements, exit via Rafah is restricted to roughly 50 patients per day, each allowed only two accompanying family members. All must undergo extensive security vetting by Israel and Egypt. At this rate, it would take over a year for all the people awaiting evacuation to all leave Gaza. In other words, many critically ill will not get out in time, and the backlog of sick and wounded grows daily.
Uncertain Right to Return: Perhaps most troubling, Gaza residents who leave via Rafah face uncertainty or even denial of their right to come backhome. Re-entry to Gaza is currently capped at very low numbers (often about 50 people per day), and thousands who left earlier in the war remain stuck abroad on waiting lists to return. The Rafah crossing’s operation has been deliberately imbalanced – facilitating departures while severely restricting entries – such that “departure is easier than return”. As a result, return to Gaza is treated not as a guaranteed right but as a discretionary privilege: over 20,000 Palestinians are registered waiting to return, with return trips subject to indefinite delays or denials. Egyptian officials have voiced concern that Israel could use Rafah as a one-way valve to push Gaza’s population out under the pretext of medical evacuations. In effect, the limited Rafah mechanism risks becoming a one-way humanitarian corridor, where patients are allowed to exit for care but may not be allowed to come back – a scenario that raises serious human rights and demographic concerns.
Contrast with Nearby West Bank Hospitals: The onerous Rafah route underscores the irrationality of blocking access to Palestinian hospitals that are geographically much closer. Key specialty hospitals in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are only about an hour’s drive from Gaza. The WHO has noted that reopening the pathway from Gaza to the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) is the fastest and most cost-effective way for Gaza patients to get lifesaving care. Rather than endure multi-stage journeys to Egypt and beyond, very sick patients could be treated in Palestinian hospitals next door – if Israel simply lifted the ban on internal medical transfers. The current policy forces Gaza residents to take a far more difficult and uncertain route for treatment, even though advanced care is available in their own healthcare system just across the boundary.

Legal and Moral Case

Under international humanitarian law (IHL), Israel – as the occupying power in Gaza – bears primary responsibility for the welfare of Gaza’s civilian population. The Fourth Geneva Convention (1949) explicitly outlines these obligations:

Article 55: “The Occupying Power has the duty of ensuring the food and medical supplies of the population” to the fullest extent of its abilities. This means Israel must ensure Gaza residents can access essential medicines and healthcare. Blocking urgent medical transfers runs counter to this duty.
Article 56: “The Occupying Power has the duty of ensuring and maintaining … the medical and hospital establishments and services, public health and hygiene in the occupied territory. Israel is obligated to support Gaza’s healthcare system and facilitate medical care for the sick.
Article 33: “No protected person may be punished for an offense he has not personally committed.” Collective penalties are strictly prohibited. Denying medical exit permits to all Gaza residents – effectively because of security concerns related to the actions of armed groups – is tantamount to a form of collective punishment against innocent civilians.

Recommendations

To address the crisis of Gaza patients denied access to care in the West Bank including East Jerusalem, the following steps are recommended for UK policymakers:

Publicly Urge an Immediate Policy Reversal: The UK government should call on Israel to lift the ban on internal medical transfers from Gaza as an urgent humanitarian imperative.
Engage in Quiet Diplomacy and Leverage Alliances: Work with key partners – such as the US, EU, and regional Arab states – to privately lobby Israel for a resumption of Gaza medical referrals to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Support Legal and Humanitarian Efforts: The UK should lend support (politically and, where appropriate, financially) to organizations advocating for Gaza patients’ rights. This includes acknowledging the High Court petitions by Israeli NGOs and amplifying their calls for Israel to meet its obligations.
Highlight and Condemn Collective Punishment: Make it clear in diplomatic forums that collective punishment is unacceptable. The UK should remind all parties that policies like the blanket medical transfer ban violate fundamental IHL norms (Fourth Geneva Convention Article 33) and must end.
Prepare Contingency Plans: In parallel, the UK should prepare for the scenario that Israel’s ban continues. This means continuing to support medical evacuation programs abroad (through WHO or direct bilateral arrangements) to save as many lives as possible in the short term.

By combining moral clarity with pragmatic diplomacy, the UK can help end a policy that is causing immense human suffering and contravening international law. Restoring Gaza patients’ access to hospitals in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is not only a legal obligation for Israel, but it would also relieve pressure on Gaza’s collapsing health system and rebuild a measure of goodwill. The UK’s voice and action on this issue can be pivotal in safeguarding lives and upholding the principles of humanity and justice in the Israel-Palestine context.