SAFA — Wounded Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have renewed demands for border crossings to be reopened for medical evacuations, warning that prolonged delays in accessing specialized treatment abroad are putting their lives and limbs at increasing risk amid Israel’s ongoing blockade of the enclave.

The wounded staged a protest outside Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Monday, demanding permission to travel abroad for surgeries, rehabilitation and treatment that are no longer adequately available inside the territory following the destruction of much of its healthcare system.

Protesters said their suffering is worsening with each passing day, particularly for people with severe injuries, amputations and conditions requiring prosthetic limbs or specialized treatment.

Abdullah Abu Saleha, who sustained three injuries during the war, said the protest was intended to demand the basic rights of Gaza’s wounded, foremost among them access to treatment outside the Strip.

He said some patients urgently need surgeries and prosthetic limbs that are unavailable in Gaza.

According to Abu Saleha, delays in treating amputees can lead to severe complications and further disability. He said patients with injuries below the knee can see their conditions deteriorate to the point where amputation above the knee becomes necessary.

He questioned why such cases had not been treated more quickly.

Abu Saleha said the wounded have held protests every Sunday for around eight months but have yet to receive an adequate response from the relevant authorities.

“We are forced to leave our families and endure the hardship of traveling and sitting under the sun simply to make our voices heard,” he said.

Abu Saleha stressed that the wounded are not asking for charity or favors, but for their basic rights.

He said children and seriously ill patients are among those waiting to travel for treatment and announced that protests at Nasser Medical Complex would continue until authorities provide clear information about the medical evacuation process and the criteria used to determine which patients are permitted to leave Gaza.

Another wounded Palestinian, Mohammad Mataou Dib Abdel Razek, described the severe medical complications he has faced since being injured in a missile strike.

He said the Israeli attack resulted in the amputation of his left leg below the knee and the loss of around 15 centimeters of bone. He also suffers from bone marrow damage and acute and chronic osteomyelitis.

Abdel Razek appealed for greater attention to the suffering of Gaza’s wounded and urged officials to listen to their demands.

He also called on the World Health Organization and those responsible for medical evacuations to prioritize critical cases and allow wounded Palestinians and their companions to leave Gaza for urgently needed treatment.

The plight of Palestinians wounded during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has grown increasingly severe amid restrictions on movement and the limited availability of medical and rehabilitation services.

Many patients require surgeries, prosthetic limbs, specialized rehabilitation and long-term care that cannot be adequately provided inside the devastated territory.

The wounded warn that continued delays in medical evacuations and specialized treatment could cause preventable complications, worsen existing injuries and turn treatable conditions into permanent and more severe disabilities.

They are demanding that border crossings be reopened for medical evacuations and that transparent, urgent procedures be established to ensure that the most critical patients can leave Gaza for treatment without further delay.