http://maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=31167Date: 08 / 08 / 2008 Time: 11:40
Gaza – Ma'an – Six Gazans died in 24 hours waiting for medical treatment outside the strip, hundreds of others are still waiting for permission to travel.
Spokesman for the Popular Committee Against the Blockade (PCAB) Rami Abdu quoted medical sources when he announced the deaths on Friday.
Among the dead are 33-year-old Wael Mohammad Arafat who died Thursday as a result of his heart disease; Mohammed As-Sayed Juneid an old man from Jabalia, north of Gaza City where he suffered from kidney failure. Medical sources confirmed that Juneid had all necessary medical documents but was denied permission to receive treatment abroad. Ibrahim Jaber Al-Ghoul from Gaza City also died Thursday. He suffered from cancer and was denied permission to seek treatment outside Gaza.
On Wednesday night Nafissa Hosni 'Ashour a resident of Khan Younis died while she waited for treatment for her worsening cancer. Ashour had filmed an appeal to be run on Al-Aqsa TV asking for the Rafah border to be opened so she and others could receive treatment.
Also on Wednesday was the death of 60-year-old Naima Abdel-Hamid Yassin, who was suffering from leukemia and Hanadi Mohammed Salem, another elderly cancer patient who was prevented from traveling.
PCAB sent an appeal to the Egyptian government to make every effort to open the crossing at least for patients seeking medical treatment.
PCAB keeps track of the number of Gazans who have died waiting for medical treatment abroad, and says that on Thursday evening the number reached 233.