Patients evacuated from Gaza to Iraq remain stranded amid document confiscations

What happened

Al Jazeera Gaza reports that 46 Palestinians, including 21 patients and 25 family escorts, evacuated from Gaza to Iraq for medical treatment in May 2024 are now trapped in a Baghdad medical complex after their travel and identification documents were confiscated by Iraqi authorities. The group includes patients with serious conditions such as oncology, blood disorders, cardiac and kidney diseases, as well as wounded individuals from the conflict.

Outside Brief is treating this as a source-led account. Any disputed responsibility, casualty figure or battlefield claim should be read as unconfirmed/hearsay unless confirmed by another reliable source. Among those stranded is Hanin Muhammad, who has been confined in Baghdad for nearly three years after accompanying her sister, a kidney transplant recipient. Muhammad’s home in Rafah was destroyed, displacing her children, and she is unable to return due to lack of documentation and stamps needed for travel. The confiscations by Iraqi Intelligence and Foreign Affairs have frozen their lives in administrative limbo.

Gaza remains heavily restricted, with the Rafah crossing into Egypt the only route in and out, and limited to partial openings under Israeli control. Gaza’s Health Ministry estimates over 20,000 patients await travel for urgent medical care abroad, including thousands of children and newborns with war-related injuries and complications. However, only 154 children have been allowed to leave since the partial reopening of Rafah in February 2026.

Known from the source

• 46 Palestinians evacuated to Iraq from Gaza for medical care in May 2024, including 21 patients and 25 escorts.
• Travel documents were confiscated by Iraqi authorities upon arrival, preventing travel.
• The group remains confined inside the Private Nursing Home Hospital within Baghdad’s Medical City complex.
• Patients have severe health conditions including cancer, blood disorders, cardiac and kidney diseases, and war injuries.
• Gaza’s Rafah crossing is partially open as of February 2026 but with severe restrictions limiting patient travel.

What remains unclear

Patients and their escorts in Baghdad report severe psychological and material hardship. One woman, escorting her cancer-stricken aunt, has had her planned six-month stay stretch to two years, with worsening health issues. The group lacks stipped financial support and remains cut off from normal life, adding to their distress amid an ongoing conflict that has resulted in extensive casualties and displacement.

What remains unclear: Verification from Iraqi authorities about the confiscation of documents and current legal status of the evacuees. Official comment from the Palestinian Embassy in Baghdad regarding passport issuance and travel restrictions. Independent corroboration of the health status of patients and the impact of administrative confinement in Iraq. Ensure casualty numbers and medical statistics are attributed carefully as per Gaza Health Ministry data.

Evidence note

Outside Brief has kept this brief source-led and attributed. Claims should be read alongside the original source linked below.

Original source: Al Jazeera Gaza. Open the source.