US lawmakers press Israel to let cancer patients out of Gaza for treatment | Gaza News
Lawmakers Urge Trump Administration to Facilitate Medical Evacuations from Gaza
More than 60 members of Congress have called on the Trump administration to assist with medical evacuations from Gaza, where a lack of healthcare services has left many patients, particularly children with cancer, in urgent need.
The bipartisan letter, addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and signed by 51 House members and 11 Senators—including Bernie Sanders and Chris Van Hollen—urges Israel to ease restrictions on Palestinian cancer patients seeking treatment in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The lawmakers have specifically requested that the administration facilitate the evacuation of child cancer patients and their caregivers, as well as secure Israeli assurances for their safe return to Gaza.
Deyar Jamil, a fellow at the human rights organization DAWN, which helped draft the letter, emphasized the urgency of the situation. “There is no conceivable reason that allowing kids with cancer to drive 40 minutes for lifesaving medical treatment should be controversial,” Jamil stated. “Such cruelty would not be possible without U.S. political cover, and we are grateful for the members of Congress who are demanding an end to it.”
The letter points to dire circumstances in Gaza, where the United Nations estimates that approximately 11,000 cancer patients reside. The healthcare system, severely impacted by Israel’s military actions, has left many without adequate treatment options. The World Health Organization reports that 94% of Gaza’s hospitals have been damaged or destroyed since Israel’s military campaign began in October 2023.
According to the letter, the limited medical evacuations allowed by Israeli authorities have been insufficient to meet patient needs. The UN has documented at least 1,200 deaths among individuals awaiting evacuation approvals, including a six-year-old leukemia patient who died while hoping to secure permission to leave Gaza for treatment.
The WHO suspended medical evacuations to Egypt in April following a violent incident involving a medical contractor. Despite a ceasefire agreement established in October 2025, reports indicate that Israeli forces continue strikes across Gaza and restrict the flow of humanitarian aid.
In light of the ongoing crisis, the lawmakers proposed creating a medical corridor to facilitate travel from Gaza to treatment facilities in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, where hospitals are ready to accept patients. Augusta Victoria Hospital and the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem have expressed willingness to cover all related expenses.
Moreover, the letter stresses the need for assurances that Palestinians will be allowed to rebuild Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure without further destruction, while prioritizing the immediate evacuation of cancer patients to ensure they receive critical care.
“The only obstacle between these patients and the treatment they desperately need is the Israeli government’s approval of their evacuation requests,” the letter concludes.
