Switzerland Will Care For 20 Injured Children From The Gaza Strip

ILLUSTRATION/DOKmen UNICEF/Mohammed Nateel

JAKARTA - Switzerland plans to receive about 20 children injured from the Gaza Strip for medical treatment.

It is not clear when the evacuation of the children can be carried out given the situation in Gaza, but coordination efforts are ongoing.

Selection will be carried out through close coordination with the World Health Organization, which maintains a list of patients, and safety checks will be carried out on selected children and accompanying family members, the government added.

Upon arrival, they will undergo a asylum process.

Reported by Reuters on Friday, September 26, the government will bear the costs of coordination and transportation, while medical costs will be borne voluntarily by the Swiss canton receiving the children or by the hospital itself, he added.

The WHO has registered about 19,000 patients for evacuation from Gaza, including 4,000 children, many of whom have life-threatening injuries or illnesses and cannot be treated adequately in the region.

The war on Gaza, which is nearing its second year without a ceasefire, has caused major damage and killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities.

It began when Hamas militants stormed Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and holding 251 people hostage, according to Israeli tallies.