The decadelong Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip has taken a toll on every aspect of life in the besieged enclave, including health.

Haaretz newspaper revealed in a Dec. 1 article that Israel continues to prevent patients from the Gaza Strip from traveling through the Beit Hanoun crossing in the northern Gaza Strip to receive treatment in hospitals in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Israel. The article noted that 20 critically ill patients died in 2017 in Gaza “after their application for an Israeli exit permit to receive medical treatment was not granted in time.”

Bassem Abu Jari, a field worker for Al Mezan Center for Human Rights in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, “The conditions of patients in Gaza are seriously deteriorating due to the Israeli restrictions and orders denying them access to hospitals outside the Gaza Strip. Israel is well aware that hospitals in Gaza are incapable of dealing with critical cases, but these patients' attempts to reach hospitals outside the enclave are blocked. Israel is not granting them permits to pass through the Beit Hanoun crossing in the northern Gaza Strip even after they've submitted medical reports.”

Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, told Haaretz that since the beginning of 2017, Israeli authorities have issued more than 22,000 medical treatment permits for patients in Gaza.