The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) on Tuesday accused Hamas of spreading false claims that Israel is preventing sick Gazans from leaving the Gaza Strip for medical treatment, stating that recent events demonstrated otherwise.
According to COGAT, on Monday, June 29, Israel permitted more than 100 civilians to leave Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing to receive medical treatment in a third country.
COGAT stated that the group was delayed for more than one hour at a checkpoint set up by Hamas terrorists. It added that the UN reported on the incident and condemned the delay to the medical evacuation and the harm caused to the humanitarian process.
COGAT further asserted that while accusations against Israel receive immediate attention, Hamas' actions are repeatedly ignored by human rights organizations despite their impact on the civilian population.
According to COGAT, since the start of the war, Israel has allowed approximately 50,000 Gazan civilians to leave for third countries, the majority of them medical patients and their escorts.
COGAT also stated that since the start of the ceasefire, the Rafah Border Crossing has been operational. It said that, to date, 4,100 Gazans have entered the Gaza Strip through the crossing, while 4,400 have exited.