GAZA, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of women stranded in the Gaza Strip protested Tuesday, calling for eased border restrictions to allow them to reunite with husbands living abroad.
The protesters gathered at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, holding signs reading "Open the crossings," "It is our right to travel to our husbands and live in peace and stability," and "Save the women of Gaza."
Ghadir al-Ahmad, 28, said she hoped the crossings would reopen so she and her children could join her husband in Sweden.
"My children are deprived of their father. They are growing up without him," she told Xinhua, adding that the family has been separated by the conflict and travel restrictions.
Another protester, Reham Taha, said she traveled to Gaza shortly before the war began to visit her sick mother and became stranded after the crossings closed.
"During these three years, I have experienced fear, deprivation, and hunger," she told Xinhua, calling for measures to facilitate travel in and out of Gaza and reunite separated families.
Also on Tuesday, Gaza health authorities said thousands of patients awaiting medical treatment abroad were still waiting for permission to travel.
"The small number of departing patients does not meet the urgent need for travel of those on the lists, who are suffering from difficult health and humanitarian conditions amid the worsening health crisis in the Gaza Strip," the authorities said.
The Health Ministry called on relevant authorities to expedite medical evacuation procedures and ensure that patients could reach specialized hospitals outside Gaza safely.
According to Palestinian official figures, about 2,800 travelers have crossed through the Rafah border crossing since it reopened on Feb. 2, including arrivals and departures.
Before the war, hundreds of Palestinians crossed through Rafah daily. In August 2023, before the conflict erupted, Israeli authorities allowed 58,606 exits from Gaza, while Egyptian authorities allowed 19,608 exits, according to a UN report.
