Israel Keeps Blocking Doctors from Entering Gaza Despite Critical Medical Collapse
Denials target doctors who treated Palestinians and spoke publicly about Israeli atrocities; Washington remains complicit as Gaza’s health system nears total collapse.
Palestine, PUREWILAYAH.COM - Israel has denied entry to multiple American and international medical volunteers attempting to reach Gaza—among them trauma surgeon Feroze Sidhwa, who has already completed two missions treating Palestinians wounded by Israeli bombardment and testified before the UN Security Council in May.
Sidhwa told The Washington Post that he received notice just hours before departing Amman on November 13 that his name had been removed from “Israel’s” approved entry list. He had planned to perform complex colostomy reversal surgeries, a desperately needed procedure for thousands of injured Palestinians, and to train local medical teams.
“He would be very helpful,” said Khaled al-Serr, a surgeon at Nasser Hospital, describing the scale of unmet surgical needs across Gaza.
Pattern of Blocking Doctors Who Speak Out
Sidhwa is one of four American medical workers—and dozens of international volunteers—prevented from entering Gaza in recent weeks, despite a US-backed ceasefire that Washington claimed would accelerate humanitarian aid.
Foreign doctors have been essential to Gaza’s decimated health system, performing more than 3.5 million consultations and 50,000 emergency surgeries since early 2024, according to the WHO.
Yet “Israel” has offered no explanation for the sudden rejections.
COGAT refused to answer questions. The Shin Bet and the prime minister’s office also declined comment.
Other barred medical personnel include:
John Kahler, American pediatrician and MedGlobal co-founder
Victoria Rose, British plastic surgeon
Nor Rizek, American nurse
Some believe they are being punished for exposing Israeli crimes.
“I definitely think the denials are due to the fact that we’ve spoken out,” Rose said.
Silencing Witnesses to Israeli Atrocities
Foreign medical teams have become key witnesses to the staggering civilian toll of Israel’s war. More than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, while independent UN investigators say Israeli actions amount to genocide.
Their testimonies contradict Israeli and American narratives and have drawn global outrage—making these doctors political targets.
Denied volunteers warn that the consequences for Gaza’s health sector are catastrophic.
“These people have been exhausted, drained and physically and mentally beat for the past two years,” Rizek said.
Gaza’s Health System on the Brink of Total Collapse
Only 18 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially functional. More than 1,700 medical workers have been killed. Entire specialties—such as plastic and reconstructive surgery—no longer exist.
Thousands of patients requiring long-term care, burn treatment, or reconstructive operations have no access to specialists, while Israel continues to obstruct international teams attempting to fill the gap.
Humanitarian groups say access decisions remain entirely controlled by Israel, despite US statements claiming its new Civil–Military Coordination Center would ease entry for aid workers. The report noted that US Central Command declined to comment on Israel’s denial of entry to American citizens trying to save Palestinian lives.
Considering Legal Action Amid U.S. Complicity
Some of the blocked medical personnel are preparing legal challenges.
Sidhwa said he may take his case to “Israel’s” Supreme Court, though past attempts have stalled for months—another tactic that delays urgent care while patients suffer or die.
As Gaza’s health system collapses under the weight of two years of U.S.-backed Israeli assault, the denial of medical access underscores a grim reality:
Washington remains an enabler, and Israel continues to weaponize humanitarian access against an already devastated population.
Foreign doctors say they will keep trying. Palestinians, meanwhile, continue to pay the price for a blockade enforced with full Western support. (PW)