Hommam Al Nassim 
A medical source in the Egyptian city of Al-Arish announced on Thursday that 21 cancer patients had been evacuated from the Gaza Strip to Egypt via the Kerem Shalom crossing, for the first time since the crossing was closed in early May, when the Israeli army took control of the Palestinian side of it.
The source, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, told Agence France-Presse, “21 cancer patients arrived in Egyptian territory through the Kerem Shalom crossing for treatment in the Emirates.”
A World Health Organization official said on Tuesday that the closure of the Rafah crossing prevented the evacuation of at least two thousand patients and called for the reopening of the crossing and other roads, according to Reuters.
Rick Pepperkorn, World Health Organization representative in the West Bank and Gaza, said that before the closure, “about 50 critically ill patients were leaving Gaza every day… This means that since May 7, at least 2,000 people have been unable to leave Gaza to receive medical care.”
The Rafah crossing was the main corridor for evacuation operations as well as the entry of humanitarian aid during the first months on October 7th. The crossing was closed when Israel launched an operation on the southern end of the Gaza Strip in May.
Egyptian security sources reported that the United States, Egypt and Qatar held talks a few days ago with the aim of reopening the crossing and increasing the flow of humanitarian aid. But the Rafah crossing, from which Egypt wants Israeli forces to withdraw and the Palestinian presence to be restored, is still closed.
The US State Department: Blinken to visit Saudi Arabia and Egypt to discuss the Gaza file