Israel on Thursday allowed the entry of some 35 Palestinian medical patients from the Gaza Strip after initially barring them because “State of Palestine” had appeared on the letterhead of their application.

A Palestinian official said Israel relented and permitted their entry without any change to the logo. An Israeli official said the letterhead had been changed to the “Palestinian Authority”.

Israel does not recognise a Palestinian state, whose creation it says should stem from peace negotiations. It voted against a U.N. General Assembly resolution in 2012 that gave de facto recognition to a sovereign Palestinian state.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis of the crisis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“After our intervention, the Israelis allowed the patients to enter with the same papers, with the words State of Palestine,” said Nasser al-Sarraj, deputy Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs.

Citing its opposition to the state logo, Israel banned about 50 patients from crossing on Wednesday but permitted the entry of 10 others deemed to be urgent cases.

A spokesman for Israel’s military-run COGAT authority, which issues entry permits, said the entry requests were re-submitted under a Palestinian Authority letterhead, an entity established under interim peace deals.

“Thirty-five requests were examined and approved and they are expected to cross today. The rest, cases that are not urgent, are still being examined. In all, 200 patients and their escorts are expected to cross today,” said Major Guy Inbar.

Sarraj said Israeli and Palestinian health officials would hold further discussions over the issue.

Israeli treatment for patients from the Gaza Strip – an enclave run by Hamas Islamists hostile to Israel – is arranged by the Palestinian Authority, headquartered in the West Bank.

Palestinian health ministry officials rejected the Israeli ban on Wednesday as a “blackmail” and said they have been using the new letterhead for a year.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount