The Israeli Supreme Court has issued a temporary injunction preventing the Israeli government from sending a group of Palestinian patients back to Gaza who are currently receiving treatment in East Jerusalem hospitals. This decision came after an appeal from the Israeli non-profit organization, Physicians for Human Rights Israel.
The court's ruling stated that the existing situation should not be altered until a decision is made on the request for an interim order. Approximately two dozen Palestinian patients, including five newborn babies and their mothers, cancer patients in remission, and their companions, were scheduled to be transported to Gaza early Thursday morning. However, their removal has been delayed twice for reasons that remain unknown.
Hospital officials have been in contact with the Israeli agency responsible for coordinating the patients' departure, Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), primarily through phone communication. COGAT has been given until Thursday to respond to the appeal made by the court.
The patients in question were granted access to the hospitals by Israeli authorities before October 7. The situation remains unresolved as the legal proceedings continue, with the court's intervention temporarily halting the patients' return to Gaza.
