Israel-Hamas :Netanyahu blocks planned field hospital for Gaza children

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday overruled an order by his defence minister to build a field hospital in Israel to treat sick Gaza children, officials said.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced this week that he had ordered the building of a “temporary hospital” in Israel to treat sick children from Gaza. Gallant discussed the project in a call with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, a government statement said Wednesday.

Reports said the hospital would be built close to Israel’s border with Gaza to help children suffering from cancer, diabetes and other illnesses who could not get treatment in the Palestinian territory.

But the prime minister’s office announced suddenly on Thursday that Netanyahu “does not approve the establishment of a hospital for Gazans within Israeli territory – therefore, it will not be established”.

An Israeli official told AFP the defence ministry first asked the prime minister’s office two weeks ago “to speed up the evacuation of patients, especially sick children”, from Gaza.

“No response was received, so the minister issued an order to the army to establish a field hospital within Israeli territory as an immediate solution for sick children.”