Rejecting Field Hospital For Gaza Children By IDF Proposed By Defense Minister, Israeli PM Is Considered Political Playing

(ki-ka) Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi. (Source: GPO/Kobi Gideon)

JAKARTA - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considered to be playing politics and risking lives, currently rejecting plans to build a field hospital for Gazan children in Israeli territory near the border, proposed by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and sparking a public dispute between the two.

Defense Minister Gallant on Wednesday announced plans for Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to build a hospital for Gazan children in Israeli territory near the border, due to the closure of Rafah's border crossing to Egypt.

Egypt has stopped all movements through Rafah, saying it was a protest of the takeover of the territory by Israel as part of its attack on southern Gaza.

This has harmed the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza as well as the ability of humanitarian cases to leave the region. However, the announcement of the Defense Minister Gallant does not appear to be coordinated with the prime minister.

"This is a significant short-term solution that will address urgent humanitarian needs until a permanent mechanism is established to evacuate and care for sick children," the office of Defense Minister Gallant said, without providing a schedule or details of whether the hospital would be run by Israel or other entities., reported by The Times of Israel July 19.

On Thursday, PM Netanyahu's Office announced he had sent a letter to Defense Minister Gallant saying it would not approve the establishment of a field hospital "and for this reason, the hospital will not be established."

"PM Netanyahu has informed in writing that he has not approved the construction of a hospital for Gazans in Israel and therefore the hospital will not be built," his office said in a statement, quoted by Anadolu.

An official at the Ministry of Defense told The Times of Israel, "the prime minister forbade hospitals for injured children to be opened for political reasons."

it appears to refer to Netanyahu trying to avoid criticism from his right-wing ally, who is the backer of his coalition. The Prime Minister's office declined to respond to the defense official's accusations.

Following Netanyahu's statement, the Gallant office responded by saying plans to establish a field hospital had been put forward because previous plans to send children in dire need of treatment abroad had been detained by the Prime Minister's Office.

The office noted that PM Netanyahu had previously received an initial recommendation from the minister for complicated cases to be sent abroad via Israel, but then failed to continue the program.

Gallant claimed he had appealed to the Office of the Prime Minister and the National Security Council (NSC) two weeks ago to request directions to be sent to the relevant ministries in order to cooperate in the plan.

"Although there is a clear directive from the prime minister to enforce a defense minister's proposal, discussions on the topic were canceled and NSC instructions were not sent," the Gallant office said.

The Gallant office said that due to urgent need to take action, the defense minister had announced the establishment of a field hospital.

"Only after the defense minister's directive to establish a field hospital, NSC remembers responding to its request and adopted its proposal to transfer complex patients from Gaza to third countries through Israel," the Gallant office said.

This is not the first time PM Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant have been involved in a dispute since the coalition was formed. On several occasions, a number of ministers have urged PM Netanyahu to fire Defense Minister Gallant.

Recently Gallant has urged the prime minister to reach an agreement to release hostages detained by Hamas, which reportedly led to heated debate between the two.

In May, defense ministers publicly urged PM Netanyahu to rule out Israel's military or civilian rule in Gaza, instead suggesting "Palestinian entities" and other "international actors" should rule the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile PM Netanyahu has dismissed all discussions about "day after" in Gaza as meaningless until Hamas is defeated.

At the end of March 2023, PM Netanyahu sacked Gallant for warning of divisions in Israeli society caused by a coalition judicial reshuffle plan posed a "clear, direct, and real threat to state security." His dismissal was met with public outrage and he was re-employed two weeks later.

Separately, health authorities in Gaza announced Thursday that the death toll of Palestinians since the latest conflict in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023, had reached 38,848 and 89,459 others injured, with the majority of victims being women and children, quoted from WAFA.