Israeli Restrictions Add to Suffering of Gaza’s Cancer Patients

For the fourth time in two months, Nevin Abu El-Jidian failed to
cross the Erez checkpoint, which separates the Gaza Strip from Israel
and the West Bank. Israeli authorities asked her to come back again with
an updated radiograph of her breast cancer. “The officer told me I have
to go back to Gaza and take an updated one.” But, even then, passage
into Israel is not guaranteed, the officer told her.

However, getting that X-Ray is no easy feat for Nevin, 35. While
waiting at the Erez crossing, her brother delivered the updated
radiograph to the Palestinian side, who then passed it on to the Israeli
side.

“The officer blackmailed me when he realized I have cancer,” Nevin said in a telephone interview.

According to testimony
collected by the Physicians for Human Rights – Israel, officers at the
Erez crossing often exploit vulnerable patients to obtain information,
forcing them to inform on friends and family. Refusal to collaborate
results in denying passage to these patients. 

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