From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
Nearly 150 sick and injured Gazans travel to UAE via Israel for treatment
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter
A total of 148 sick and injured civilians Palestinian civilians have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip and transferred to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Israel’s Coordination of Civilian Affairs in the Territories unit says.
The development comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly canceled the evacuation which had been scheduled for Monday, following the Hezbollah attack on Majdal Shams that killed 12 children.
COGAT says in a press statement that the humanitarian operation was carried out “under the directive of Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, who tasked the defense establishment and relevant authorities with its execution.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 35 of the evacuees are children, part of the biggest single evacuation amid the current war between Israel and Hamas.
The patients include those suffering from cancer, blood diseases, congenital conditions, neurological conditions, cardiac and liver and renal disease, as well as injuries sustained during the war, the WHO says.
COGAT says that the evacuees were transferred via the Kerem Shalom border crossing between Gaza and Israel to Ramon International Airport in southern Israel and from there to the UAE. It adds that the operation was “carried out under the leadership of the UAE, in cooperation with Israeli authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO).”
The patients were accompanied by family members and caregivers, the WHO says.
All those who left Gaza underwent security assessments and evaluations “in accordance with the needs of Israel’s defense establishment” COGAT says.
“This unprecedented operation is the direct outcome of the humanitarian policy of the State of Israel since the start of this war,” adds COGAT, and states that Israel “distinguishes between the civilian population of Gaza and the Hamas terrorist organization.”
The WHO thanks the UAE and says it hopes that “this paves the way for the establishment of evacuation corridors via all possible routes,” adding “Thousands of sick people are suffering needlessly. Above all, and as always, we call for a ceasefire.”
On Sunday, the High Court of Justice ordered the government to inform it of the steps it has taken to create a permanent mechanism to routinely enable such medical evacuations, following a petition filed by the Physicians for Human Rights Israel organization.
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