Dutch to treat wounded Palestinian children

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The Netherlands stated its willingness to accommodate and treat wounded Palestinian children from the Gaza Strip on Monday, with both outgoing Health Minister Ernst Kuipers and outgoing Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot supporting the idea.

As of Monday, Israel’s military campaign in response to the Hamas terror attacks on October 7 had killed around 11,180 people in the Gaza Strip, 4,609 of whom are children.

“The EU yesterday urged the opening of humanitarian corridors. The Netherlands is ready to accommodate injured and sick children from Gaza if requested,” Kuipers wrote on X.

He added that the children would be distributed among hospitals and care facilities throughout the Netherlands and vowed to ramp up cooperation between facilities and the involved ministries.

While the number of children to be treated is still unknown, Foreign Minister Bruins Slot called for humanitarian organisations, such as the Red Cross or Doctors without Borders, to cooperate with the cabinet to transport the wounded children to the Netherlands.

“The situation in Gaza is, of course, atrocious in humanitarian terms, and for the past few days, we have been constantly looking at what we can do additionally. We’re looking at whether we can bring sick and injured Palestinian children to the Netherlands to make sure they get proper help and care,” she stated on the sidelines of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday.

Last month, the Dutch announced that they would be sending an additional €10 million in aid to Gaza in light of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory.

(Benedikt Stöckl | Euractiv.com)