Gazan to undergo heart surgery in Israel

Despite closure of Gaza, court rules Israel medically responsible for man.

The High Court of Justice on Friday approved an appeal by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) to permit the entry of a Palestinian man from the Gaza Strip into Israel in order to undergo open-heart surgery. In the appeal, which was approved Friday afternoon, PHR claimed that under international law Israel was responsible for Palestinian citizens in the Gaza Strip since they did not have any other medical alternatives. According to Army Radio, the petition was approved by the High Court in spite of the general closure imposed on the Gaza Strip. On Thursday, Defense Minister Amir Peretz ordered a full closure to be imposed on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip from Thursday night until Monday at midnight. The decision was made due to the large amount of terror attack warnings received annually during the Purim holiday, which commences on Saturday night.