As the block­ade of Gaza con­tin­ues many Pales­tini­ans are look­ing for a way out. Many are resort­ing to bribes or fak­ing med­ical trans­fers to leave Gaza.

Israel and Egypt do allow Pales­tini­ans with life threat­en­ing ill­nesses to leave Gaza to seek med­ical treat­ment. So some will fake med­ical reports say­ing they have can­cer in order to leave.

Israel and Egypt blocked off Gaza after Hamas took con­trol of the territory.

From NPR, this Asso­ci­ated Press story gives one such example.

Akram Ghneim, 31, an unem­ployed father of six liv­ing off food hand­outs, told The Asso­ci­ated Press he promised $260 to a Pales­tin­ian mid­dle­man, who obtained for him a bogus med­ical report say­ing he had can­cer. Ghneim said he hoped he’d get a rare spot on the list of Gaza patients with life-threatening ill­nesses who are allowed to enter Israel for treatment.

Once in Israel, he planned to dis­ap­pear and work ille­gally. But Israeli intel­li­gence offi­cials, who review appli­ca­tions, rejected him last sum­mer, say­ing his can­cer report was forged.

“This is what the block­ade does,” said Ran Yaron, of the Israeli group Physi­cians for Human Rights, which helps bring Gazans into Israel for treat­ment by lob­bing Israeli defense officials.

“Most are frus­trated and dev­as­tated people.”

Yaron said fak­ers are a minor­ity, but clog up the sys­tem for real patients who have to go through longer checks as a result.

Of more than 7,000 Gazans who crossed into Israel this year to seek med­ical treat­ment, some 500 haven’t returned, said Col. Moshe Levi, an Israeli defense offi­cial.
…

Hazem Riyashi, 27, says he paid a mid­dle­man $1,000 in July to cross through Egypt, hop­ing to reach the Gulf emi­rate of Dubai, where his fam­ily lives. But the mid­dle­man dis­ap­peared and has not returned his calls. Riyashi hasn’t given up, and is look­ing for some­one else to pay off.

“I think every­body should leave Gaza,” he said. “Even the air smells cleaner abroad.”

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