Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, September 15, 2019
On 5 September, PCHR submitted a report to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ahead of Israel’s fourth periodic review during its 66th session. This submission focuses on Israel’s restrictions on the Palestinian patients from the Gaza Strip accessing adequate healthcare in hospitals in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israel or abroad, which violates their right to health under Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.
Since Israel imposed its blockade on the Gaza in 2007, effectively restricting freedom of movement for periods and goods, Gaza’s health sector has been in constant crisis and deterioration. Severe restrictions on the import of dual use items, which prohibit the import of certain new medical equipment or spare parts to fix or maintain old equipment have hampered the work at local hospitals and centers. During this period, the Strip also witnessed three destructive offensives which resulted in extensive damage to vital health infrastructure. This left the health sector lacking adequate medical services to cope with the needs of 2 million Palestinians. The steep decline of Gaza’s healthcare and unavailability of specialized medical services increased the need for patients to be referred to hospitals in Israel and West Bank including East Jerusalem…