Jordan evacuates 6 child cancer patients, 19 relatives from Gaza as part of promise to Trump

For the second time in days, Jordan carried out an evacuation of child cancer patients along with their family members from Gaza as it works to gradually fulfill a promise King Abdullah made to US President Donald Trump.

Six young patients and 19 family members were evacuated by the Jordan Armed Forces from Gaza, a Jordanian official tells The Times of Israel.

Abdullah announced during a February meeting with Trump that Jordan would take in 2,000 child cancer patients and other sick children from Gaza for treatment in the Hashemite kingdom, as Washington sought to push countries in the region to facilitate the emigration of Palestinians from the war-torn Strip.

The total number of sick Gazan children taken in by Jordan now stands at 39, after four were evacuated last week with 12 of their family members and 29 were evacuated in March along with 44 family members.

The Jordanian official says Amman seeks to evacuate more children from Gaza, but Israeli authorities have “put up hurdles.”

“Jordan wanted to evacuate all the children from Gaza by air, but Israeli authorities didn’t agree,” the Jordanian official says, adding that the evacuations took place by land, with patients being driven into Israel and then through the West Bank before reaching Jordan for treatment at the King Hussein Cancer Center.

The official notes that Ammn is also seeking to deliver aid into Gaza and has 100 trucks sitting in Jordan that are ready to enter the Strip, but that Israel has not allowed them in.

While Israel has not guaranteed that those who leave Gaza will be able to return, a group of patients who had received treatment in Jordan were allowed back into the Strip on May 13. However, before they reentered, Israeli authorities seized their belongings, including money, cellphones, and food, the Jordanian official says.