A/HRC/31/44 approximately 1,000 Gazan students were studying in the West Bank.50 Since the outbreak of the second intifada in 2000, sweeping bans on travel to the West Bank have been imposed on university students from Gaza, and all requests to travel for study purposes have since been rejected, even in the absence of security concerns. 51 49. On 16 February 2015, COGAT announced that the Government of Israel would introduce measures to ease travel restrictions, including by granting exit permits to 50 Gazan students wishing to study in the West Bank. However, the authorities retracted the decision on 18 February 2015, citing a “clerical error”.52 50. The impact of the ban is exacerbated by the obstacles that Gazan students face in accessing education outside the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In December 2014, Israel announced that it would allow up to 140 students from Gaza to study abroad, subject to a maximum quota of 30 per week.53 During the reporting period, 161 students left through Erez crossing, but hundreds more remained unable to reach their academic institutions, risking losing their scholarships owing to delays and the denial of permits. 51. The inability of students to access higher education in other parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory or abroad affects the free choice of a university course, with a commensurate impact on future careers and livelihoods. For example, in Gaza, many important programmes, including medical engineering and doctoral programmes in chemistry, are not available.54 2. Right to health 52. The availability, accessibility and quality of health services in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are impaired by the restricted movement of patients, doctors and other medical staff. 53. Owing to the limited capacity in hospitals run by the Ministry of Health of the State of Palestine, patients requiring specialized treatment or surgery are often referred for treatment outside of their usual area of residence. In Gaza, reliance on referrals for adequate medical care is particularly acute (see A/70/421, para. 24). There are only four oncologists to treat the 12,600 cancer patients in Gaza (cancer is the second leading cause of death in Palestine). In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) notes that only two cardiac surgeons are available, as a result of which some 70-80 patients per month need to be treated outside Gaza. 54. Most Palestinians from the West Bank or Gaza requiring health care in East Jerusalem, Israel or abroad must apply for an Israeli-issued permit. While Israel imposes no age or quota restrictions on the process of obtaining a health permit, 55 15-30 per cent of the applications are delayed or never approved, and the application process is reportedly slow and complicated.56 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 Gisha, “Student travel between Gaza and the West Bank 101”, September 2012. The Israeli army considers people aged between 16 and 35, and students in this age group in particular, as posing a general threat because of their “risk profile”. Gisha, “Legal framework: higher education — rights and obligations under international and Israeli law”, May 2010. Gisha, “Israel will not permit students from Gaza to study in the West Bank”, February 2015. ; 37 orphans stayed home”, December 2014. Ibid., “The impact of the separation between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank on higher education”, May 2010. COGAT, “Status of permits”, p. 21. Physicians for Human Rights, Divide and Conquer: Inequality and Health, January 2015, p. 76. 11