The Rafah crossing remained closed, blocking sick and wounded Palestinians from seeking medical treatment abroad. This is happening as Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that approximately 10 patients die each day waiting for permission to leave the Strip.
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Rafah crossing closure traps sick Palestinians as aid plummets to 67 trucks daily
A document shared by the Palestinian side with mediators and obtained by Drop Site News reveals multiple Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement. This includes severe restrictions on border crossings and aid deliveries.
Under the ceasefire, Israel agreed to allow 200 passengers to move through the Rafah crossing daily. It involves 150 departures and 50 returnees after reopening the crossing on February 20, following heavy international pressure.
However, on Saturday, there were zero crossings for medical and humanitarian travel. Since mediators reopened the crossing, only 4,694 of 14,600 planned movements have taken place, representing just 32.1% of agreed passages.
The aid situation has collapsed further. Israel committed to allowing 600 trucks into Gaza each day, including 50 fuel trucks.
Saturday delivered only 67 trucks, 65 carrying aid, and two commercial trucks with no fuel deliveries whatsoever. The shortfall has crippled hospitals, which continue shutting down critical services while sewage systems fail.
“Since the ceasefire took effect, Israeli forces have killed 851 Palestinians, including 217 children, 91 women, and 23 elderly people. It also wounded 2,437 others, more than half of them children, women, or elderly.”
Israeli ceasefire violations hit 2,787 as Gaza’s hospitals collapse
Saturday alone saw 15 new violations across the Strip, according to the report. Israeli naval boats opened fire on western Gaza City and western Khan Younis.
Artillery shelling struck east of Al-Bureij Camp, east of Gaza City, east of Khan Younis, and west of Rafah. Israeli forces opened fire toward eastern Khan Younis and in Bani Suheila and east of Al-Qarara, with renewed shelling later in Al-Qarara.
Israeli military vehicles advanced toward Salah al-Din Street in Khan Younis. An Israeli drone strike near Al-Ittisalat Junction west of Jabalia killed one Palestinian riding an electric motorcycle.
A quadcopter dropped a bomb near the Yellow Line in Khan Younis, wounding two civilians. Israeli forces also demolished buildings with explosives east of Gaza City.
The total number of documented Israeli ceasefire violations has now reached 2,787. This includes 1,249 airstrikes and shelling attacks and 1,078 live-fire incidents.
Israel continues to hold approximately 34 square kilometres beyond the agreed withdrawal lines and has blocked all repairs to electricity, water, and sewage infrastructure. Reuters reported this week that Israel has extended its occupation zone from 53 per cent of Gaza to 64 per cent of the territory since the ceasefire began.
“Aid delivery remains critically below agreed levels. Only 37.2% of promised aid has entered Gaza, averaging 223 trucks per day against the agreed 600.”
Fuel deliveries stand at just 14.7 per cent of the agreed amounts. Over the past week, only 1,573 trucks entered Gaza out of 4,200 scheduled.
The Health Ministry warns that without immediate intervention, the death toll among patients awaiting medical evacuation will continue to rise as the Rafah crossing remains sealed.
Meanwhile, foreign policy and humanitarian expert Jasmine El-Gamal has recently condemned the stringent regulations imposed on Palestinian civilians attempting to return to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing. She described the regulations as draconian and evil, questioning both their justification and their crippling impact on recovery.