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Death of Amro Fakher al-Kurd, 15, after Israeli authorities block access to medical care

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20 May 2021

At around 9pm on Wednesday, 19 May 2021, 15-year-old Amro Faker al-Kurd was pronounced dead at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. According to Al Mezan’s field investigations, the child, who was a resident of Deir al-Balah city, suffered from meningitis and was in need of diagnosis in an advanced medical center outside the Gaza Strip. On 9 May 2021, the patient received an urgent referral and financial coverage from the Palestinian Ministry of Health to al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron. The patient’s family submitted a request for a travel permit via the Palestinian General Authority of Civil Affairs to the Israeli Coordination and Liaison Administration (CLA) at Erez; however, the CLA declined the patient’s request. The patient’s family submitted the names of more than 30 companions to escort the patient, hoping for a permit approval, yet the CLA did not allow the patient to leave the Strip. The permit procedures are opaque and rejections or delays are usually attributed to vague justifications of “security”, making it hard for the applicant to resubmit a suitable application under the already arbitrary procedures. The Israeli authorities completely closed Erez crossing during its latest offensive on the Gaza Strip between 10-21 May. The child died nine days into the full ban on patient movement.

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