DaysofPal- UNICEF has underlined the critical importance of allowing wounded Palestinian children to leave the Gaza Strip for medical treatment and to return afterward, stressing that such access is essential for family unity and long-term recovery.
Jonathan Crickx, Chief of Communications at UNICEF Palestine, spoke to Al Jazeera from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza about the limited reopening of the Rafah border crossing and its implications for children affected by the war.
Crickx said the reopening represents an important step, even though operational details remain unclear. He explained that before April 2024, during the early phase of the war, many children and mothers were able to evacuate through Rafah. He emphasized that it is extremely important for those children to be reunited with their parents and to live together as families, whether inside Gaza or outside it.
He also highlighted the urgent need for medical evacuations. Crickx said he had met many children who were seriously injured during the war, including children who lost limbs due to explosions. While some of these children have received care inside Gaza, he stressed that the devastated health system cannot meet the extensive rehabilitation needs of all injured children.
“For those children, it’s extremely important that they can exit the Gaza Strip to seek the medical treatment they need,” Crickx said, adding that it is equally vital for them to be able to return home after receiving treatment.
On Sunday morning, the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing began operating on a trial basis following more than a year and a half of near-total Israeli closure. Israel has occupied the Palestinian side of the crossing since May 2024, during the genocide it launched on Gaza on October 8, 2023, which continued for two years.
In January 2025, during a ceasefire, Israel temporarily reopened the crossing to allow sick and wounded Palestinians to travel for treatment outside Gaza. The crossing was closed again after Israel resumed its offensive in March of the same year.
Under the first phase of a ceasefire agreement linked to a US-backed plan announced by President Donald Trump, which took effect on October 10, 2025, Israel was expected to reopen the crossing. It later withdrew from that commitment.
Israeli media reported that the recent reopening followed pressure from the United States and came after the return of the remains of the last Israeli prisoner of war from the Gaza Strip.
For UNICEF, the issue remains clear. Access to medical evacuation and the guaranteed return of wounded children are not optional measures but essential steps to protect children’s rights, preserve families, and prevent lifelong suffering.
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