A CHILD in Gaza died on Sunday while waiting for permission from Israeli authorities to leave the enclave for medical treatment.

This comes as Israel continues to block thousands of Palestinians from leaving for urgent medical attention through the partially reopened Rafah crossing into Egypt.

Two-year-old Nidal Abu Rabeea’s family had reportedly received all the necessary medical referral documents needed to leave Gaza for treatment, but he was left waiting for 14 months to be allowed to leave.

The child’s mother, Iman Hamdouna, said: “Israel closed the crossing and killed my son,” saying that her son had been suffering from an enlarged liver and high fever for months prior to his death.

The facilities to treat Nidal and thousands of other sick and wounded Palestinians have not been available in Gaza for months following the targeting of hospitals by Israeli forces of every hospital in the enclave.

Curbs imposed by the Israelis have also meant that there are critical shortages of medicines and medical equipment in Gaza.

Some 1,360 patients have died while waiting to travel for medical treatment since May 7 2024, the day the Rafah crossing, Gaza’s only exit, was closed by Israel, according to Zaher al-Wahidi, the Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson.

In an interview with the Al Jazeera network, Mr Wahidi said Israel “has deliberately and methodically destroyed the health system.

Mr Wahidi also said Gaza faced five challenges: near absence of patient evacuations, lack of medical equipment, shortage of medication, destruction of facilities and the need for more medical workers.

The health ministry said of Gaza’s population of 2.1 million, there are some 350,000 patients with chronic illnesses.

Israeli forces have violated the October 10 truce more than 1,600 times, killing more than 600 Palestinians.

Meanwhile, Nidal’s sister, Rital Alaa Abou Rabeea, born one month before her brother died, is a patient at what still passes for Al-Haqsa Hospital in central Gaza.

Rital also holds the necessary medical referral documents to leave for medical treatment abroad but is also not being allowed to leave by the Israelis.

Her mother, Ms Hamdouda, said: “My son died and I’m afraid I will lose my daughter.”

Under the ceasefire deal the Israelis pledged to reopen Rafah for medical evacuation for 50 patients per day. But by the end of last week, only 1,148 had been allowed to cross in both directions compared to what should have been 3,400 for the period.