Italian Navy ship brings 18 wounded Palestinian children from Gaza to Italy

By AP 5 February 2024, 6:59 pm

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A picture shows the Italian Navy's 'Vulcano' during the launching ceremony of the bow section at the Fincantieri Shipyards in Castellamare di Stabia near Naples, on April 10, 2017. (CARLO HERMANN / AFP)

The Italian Navy ship Vulcano arrives in the northern port of La Spezia carrying 18 Palestinian children in need of medical care, including an infant born on the ship in December.

The infant’s mother was accompanying her daughter, who was injured in fighting in Gaza, and notified personnel of her pregnancy.

“In 24 hours, the woman delivered. Everything went really well, and it was a great experience,″ says Maita Satori, a midwife aboard the ship.

In some cases, the children sustained severe injuries and are unable to walk, but authorities say all are in stable and not life-threatening condition.

The children will be treated at hospitals in Bologna, Florence, Genoa and Rome, while family members who accompanied them will be provided a place to stay by the Sant-Egidio charity. This was the second of four planned arrivals of a total of 100 Palestinian children who will receive medical treatment in Italy.

“It was moving to see civilian people, mothers and children mostly, because the people we have taken care of are mostly children and women, to see in their eyes both the terror for what they lived but also the joy during the time they spent on board,” says Admiral Aurelio De Carolis, commander in chief of the Italian naval fleet. “Everybody made an effort not only for medical assistance but also to make them feel at home and give them hope for the future.”