Evacuating Gaza children to Europe: Moral obligation or security issue?

In Gaza, much than 15,600 residents — galore of whom suffer from life-threatening illnesses aliases conflict-related injuries —are successful request of urgent aesculapian evacuation, according to figures provided by nan World Health Organization.

But since nan Hamas-led 7 October attack, less than 350 people, nan mostly of whom are children, were capable to time off nan embattled Strip and get aesculapian curen successful nan European Union. 

Despite an ever-deteriorating humanitarian business successful Gaza, countries for illustration Germany, Denmark and Austria person either welcomed very fewer patients from nan portion aliases person not made immoderate connection to return them in.

Some authorities officials opportunity they fearfulness that providing shelter for Gaza patients and their caretakers could airs further challenges to their countries’ information and migration policies.

“We cognize that nan rumor (of aesculapian evacuations) is related to migration…it is thing that is concerning successful galore European countries…” said Maxime Prévot, Belgium’s lawman premier curate and curate of overseas affairs, successful an exclusive interview pinch Euronews.

“But I deliberation that now according to a civilized responsibility but besides a ineligible commitment, it is basal to return action successful bid to supply beardown support to those families.”

Belgium itself, Prévot confirmed, has taken arsenic fewer arsenic 14 patients from Gaza, but nan state intends to return much of them successful nan coming months.

The NGO Doctors Without Borders, which coordinates aesculapian evacuations successful Gaza, echoed akin concerns.

“We are struggling to find destination countries because immoderate countries fearfulness nan governmental ramifications and want to guarantee that nan correct of return is preserved,” said Dr Hani Isleem, who coordinates Medical Evacuations retired of Gaza for Doctors Without Borders. 

"That has go our main situation now," Isleem added. 

Evacuations urgent arsenic wellness strategy successful Gaza 'collapsed'

According to nan WHO, a full of 919 patients and accompanying group person been medically evacuated to 16 WHO personnel states and 11 EU countries since October 2023, including Albania, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Romania, Spain, nan United Kingdom, Switzerland, Turkey and Uzbekistan.

Evacuations are conducted via a committee of Hamas-run Gaza’s Ministry of Health, which “identifies nan astir urgent cases that cannot beryllium treated wrong Gaza,” Isleem said.

The last decision is successful nan hands of nan WHO and “only past tin EU personnel states (…) make an connection for a aesculapian evacuation,” a WHO spokesperson said.

The evacuations person go each nan much urgent that “the wellness strategy successful Gaza has wholly collapsed” owed to nan Israeli strikes, nan remaining hospitals operating wrong Gaza “only supply nan basal needs and life-saving care,” and nan “waiting list” of severely sick patients has been increasing “steadily,” Isleem said.

The warfare successful Gaza started aft Hamas-led militants attacked confederate Israel on October 7 2023, sidesplitting astir 1,200 group and taking 251 hostage.

The Israeli violative successful Gaza resulted successful nan deaths of much than 64,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to nan Gaza Health Ministry, whose figures do not separate betwixt fighters and civilians.

In nan EU, Italy has taken successful nan largest number of patients, pinch 187 of them. Spain and Romania travel second, pinch 45 and 42 patients, respectively.

But nan WHO and galore NGOs moving connected nan crushed opportunity nan number of evacuations is excessively low. “More countries must measurement up and supply aesculapian assistance to patients pinch terrible illnesses and urgent wellness needs from Gaza,” said nan WHO spokesperson.

On 13 August, Italy carried retired nan “largest removal operation” to date, according to nan country’s Defence Ministry.

Thirty-one children and their companions — astir 120 group successful full — were flown to Italy connected cargo planes and admitted for curen to hospitals including successful nan Rome and Milan area.

“Almost each children person suffered from amputations aliases superior wounds, encephalon injuries, encephalon haemorrhage, leukemia aliases from congenital illness aliases terrible malnutrition,” nan Italian Foreign Affairs Ministry said successful a connection published connected its website. “All aesculapian conditions that, successful nan Gaza strip, would ne'er person been cured.”

Despite having 1 of nan toughest migration policies successful Europe, nan ministry said it would present residence permits to those patients, “so that children and family members tin person entree to Italy’s schoolhouse and wellness system, to guarantee a harmonious integration and a honorable enactment for arsenic agelong arsenic necessary,” nan connection added.

But nan business is different successful different European countries, which are keen to comply pinch strict migration policies.

'Health supra politics'

Despite increasing criticism, Social Democrat Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark, who has championed immoderate of nan toughest migration policies successful Europe, maintained her refusal to return successful patients from Gaza.

“What I’m saying now whitethorn sound a spot harsh,” Frederiksen told Danish transmission TV2 News past month. “But erstwhile we look astatine nan group of Palestinians who came to Denmark successful nan past, of people immoderate of them person integrated and go Danes."

"But location are acold excessively galore successful that group who person caused very, very superior consequences for our society, and we are not going to alteration our migration policy.”

Germany has treated only 1 diligent truthful far, and Martin Matz, a personnel of nan Berlin House of Representatives from nan centre-left SPD party, precocious raised information concerns regarding nan patient’s accompanying persons. 

“Of course, considerations of information besides play a domiciled successful these decisions,” Matz, who is besides nan SPD’s interior affairs spokesperson,* told Euronews. “Unfortunately, we many times person to observe that nan Middle East conflict besides becomes a information problem for Jewish group successful Berlin — whereas nan reverse has not been nan case.”

France has treated 27 patients truthful far, according to nan WHO. But nan state suspended its argumentation of receiving patients from Gaza until authorities finalise nan investigation of a Palestinian student, who arrived successful France successful July and has been accused of making antisemitic remarks online.

"No removal of immoderate benignant will return spot until we person drawn conclusions from this investigation," Jean-Noël Barrot told France Info power past month.

Austria has not taken successful immoderate patients, but officials reason that leaving Gaza, moreover for earnestly sick people, is almost intolerable owed to nan bureaucratic load of evacuations. But each diligent — and, successful nan lawsuit of a child, their accompanying comparative — must spell done a information clearance pinch nan Israeli information authorities.  

Before nan war, astir 20,000 patients per twelvemonth — of whom a 3rd were children — sought permits from Israel to time off nan Gaza Strip for healthcare, galore of them requiring repetition trips crossed nan border.

Israel approved astir 63% of these aesculapian exit applications successful 2022, according to nan WHO. Gaza's ain healthcare accommodation person been stretched nether a 16-year Israeli-led blockade and repeated rounds of fighting.

“We impulse personnel states to put wellness supra politics,” nan WHO spokesperson said. “This is not about charity, it is astir a shared work … Every kid deserves care, dignity and a patient future.”