Israel lets in Gazans for medical treatment

Some patients had been temporarily denied entry because their paperwork read, ‘State of Palestine’

The Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip (photo credit: Tsafrir Abayov/Flash90)
The Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip (photo credit: Tsafrir Abayov/Flash90)

Israel allowed 35 Palestinians from Gaza to enter for medical treatment a day after denying them permission because their application letterhead read “State of Palestine.”

Reuters reported that the Palestinians seeking medical treatment at Israeli hospitals were allowed to cross into Israel on Thursday. Ten urgent cases had been allowed to cross on Wednesday, despite the paperwork snafu.

The entry applications were resubmitted on Palestinian Authority letterhead, Maj. Guy Inbar, a spokesman for COGAT, the coordinator of government activities in the territories, told Reuters. He said that some 200 Palestinian patients and their escorts would cross into Israel on Thursday.

But Nasser al-Sarraj, the deputy Palestinian minister of civil affairs, told Reuters that there had been no change to the letterhead.

The State of Palestine letterhead has been used since the beginning of the year, according to reports.

The Gaza Strip has been controlled since 2007 by the Islamist extremist group Hamas.

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