Two Gazans lose their legs after Israel denied their West Bank transfer

Palestine

Published: 2018-04-12 18:44

Last Updated: 2024-03-28 10:37


Palestinian demonstrators near the Gaza borders
Palestinian demonstrators near the Gaza borders

Two Palestinians injured during the Great Return March had their legs amputated after Israel denied them entry to the West Bank for treatment, two human rights organizations reported.

The young men, identified as Yousef Karnaz, 20, and Mohammad Al-Jouri, 17, had been injured by Israeli snipers near the Gaza border fence on March 30, the first day of the demonstrations.

Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights filed a petition in Israeli Supreme Court on Sunday demanding Israel let the two seriously wounded young men leave the Gaza Strip.

The petition was filed after the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) denied the men’s transfer to Ramallah on April 5.

Earlier, Shifa Hospital had requested their transfer by submitting a request to the Israeli COGAT on April 1, which remained unanswered, causing the two human rights organizations to send an urgent letter on April 4.

The court gave Israeli authorities three days to respond, before the latter said the two men were denied the transfer because their injuries came as a result of their participation “in a violent riot organized by Hamas.”

Hospitals in Gaza are struggling to deal with upwards of 1,990 wounded by Israeli snipers and other types of excessive force, as they are running out of medicine and supplies to treat patients.