Finland urges Israel to allow Gazan patients to be treated in West Bank

Finland urges Israel to allow Gazan patients to be treated in West Bank

Finland has signed a joint statement by 25 countries, coordinated by Denmark, on facilitating the access of Gazan patients to treatment in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem, by declaring readiness to support their treatment in the Palestinian territory.

The joint statement calls on Israel to open evacuation corridors and allow patients to be transported from Gaza to the West Bank and hospitals in East Jerusalem. Israel has no longer allowed the treatment of Gazan patients in these Palestinian hospitals since October 2023.

Healthcare services in Gaza have collapsed, and at least 15,600 patients in critical need of care who cannot be treated in Gaza are waiting for access to care.

"Since it is most cost-effective to provide hospital care for Palestinians on the ground, we are allocating development cooperation funds to the region for this purpose," says Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio.

"Finland has repeatedly urged Israel, both through bilateral discussions and as part of the international community, to allow full humanitarian access into Gaza and to take all necessary action to make assistance accessible to those in need. The most important thing is to enable hospital care for patients in distress. This joint statement is one more way of putting pressure and proposing solutions to alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza," says Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen.

Finland supports the Palestinian Authority and East Jerusalem hospitals as part of Finland's development cooperation, within the existing budget.