By NNN-WAFA,
Jerusalem : Physicians for Human Rights has said that Israeli security agents have made entry for dozens of Palestinians from Gaza seeking medical treatment contingent on their agreement to act as informants.
The rights group said in a report Monday that 32 Palestinians, including some with terminal illnesses, said they were denied entry into Israel for medical examinations after refusing security agents’ appeals at the border to inform against Gaza militants.
The report said the number of Gazans seeking care in Israel has more than doubled since Hamas seized power in Gaza last year.
It said Israel permitted about 65 per cent of Palestinians seeking medical care to cross this year, compared to 90 per cent of those who sought treatment in January 2007.
Physicians for Human Rights said some Gazans seeking treatment in Israel were questioned by security agents for hours, and missed critical medical appointments.
The report also said that “interrogators propose to patients directly and openly to collaborate and/or provide them with information on an ongoing basis.”
Once an agent “has established control over a patient, permitting medical treatment is explicitly or implicitly made contingent upon collaboration,” said the report, adding that the practice violated the Geneva Conventions.