Israel’s health minister canceled the directive to Israeli hospitals for the hospitalization and treatment of wounded residents from Gaza or Lebanon who are evacuated by the IDF and transferred to Israel, the Health Ministry announced on Friday morning.
Health Minister Uriel Busso instructed the ministry’s Director-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov to cancel the instruction.
Busso emphasized that there is no change in his unequivocal policy of not allowing terrorists, as well as residents from Gaza and Lebanon, to seek refuge in Israeli hospitals.
Friday’s announcement came after a directive on Thursday to admit and treat residents from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon injured in the conflict in Israeli hospitals.
The directive stated that Israel’s admission of people needing treatment was in line with the state’s commitments to international law and conventions.
The Health Ministry asserted that “the IDF carries out the humanitarian evacuation of the victims under the decision of the operational commander and a medical factor in the combat zone.”
Health minister: Original plan carried out without my knowledege
Busso insisted Friday morning that the message sent on Friday was drafted without his knowledge or approval and clarified that any request for policy change would only be considered after severe discussions.
Concerning the evacuation of the wounded from the Gaza Strip, the ministry highlighted the complexity of the process, requiring a secure corridor, assistance from the Red Cross, available evacuation means, and an open passage between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Notably, the passage is not open on a day-to-day basis during the conflict, necessitating the full mobility capability of the injured to Israeli hospitals and back to the Gaza Strip.
Hospitals were notified that “the humanitarian evacuation of the victims between hospitals is based on the urgency of arrival for treatment, the distribution of the burden among hospitals, and the additional admission of victims in parallel.” The coordination of the victims will be overseen by the entire hospitalization system of Clalit Health Services, “with a national perspective of prudent use of treatment resources.”
This directive follows a report last week revealing that some 25 Hamas terrorists, captured alive since October 7, were treated in Israeli hospitals. Significant opposition within the hospitals exists against treating terrorists, both from other patients and their families and from the medical staff, who, in many cases, simply refuse to admit them.
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