Opponent of Gaza Operations by Güler
In a surprising turn of events, several German cities, including Hannover, have planned to take in 20 injured children from Gaza and Israel for medical treatment. However, this initiative faces a significant hurdle as Israel continues to prevent the evacuation of injured children from Gaza for medical treatment abroad.
The ongoing blockade and control over Gaza's borders by Israel have significantly restricted the exit of patients, including children in desperate need of specialized care. Israeli authorities have allowed only a limited number of medical evacuations, often delaying or denying them regardless of the severity of the cases. This situation affects thousands of patients, including over 4,500 children, who require medical evacuation to access treatment unavailable inside Gaza.
CDU state minister Serap Güler, who has expressed genuine concern about the well-being of injured Palestinian children, has dismissed the idea of an intake program for threatened people from Gaza and Lebanon as a "nice election campaign idea." Güler believes that the injured children could be helped best in their region.
However, the German heart has softened enough to allow some children from Gaza to receive medical treatment in Germany. The city of Hannover, for instance, has planned to take in 20 injured children. Yet, the current status of this intake program remains unclear.
The international community and humanitarian organizations have repeatedly called on Israel to facilitate medical evacuations and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza unobstructed. They highlight Israel's legal obligations under international humanitarian law to permit essential medical transfers and aid passage.
The prolonged conflict and blockades in Gaza have severely decimated its healthcare system, leaving a critical shortage of medical supplies and services. The restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities on movement and medical evacuation permits have been a significant barrier to these transfers. For example, Doctors Without Borders has only been able to evacuate a few patients out of Gaza for reconstructive surgeries abroad.
Israel's policy of restricting medical evacuations is part of a wider policy linked to its military and security objectives during the conflict. This policy exacerbates the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, generating famine-like conditions and overwhelming its medical infrastructure.
The Berlin Left demanded an intake program for threatened people from Gaza and Lebanon in October 2024, but were dismissed at the time. As the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, it remains to be seen whether more German cities will join Hannover in offering medical treatment to injured children from Gaza and Israel, and whether Israel will relax its restrictions on medical evacuations.
[1] Amnesty International. (2020). Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories: Life-saving medical care denied. [online] Available at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/09/israel-occupied-palestinian-territories-life-saving-medical-care-denied/
[2] Human Rights Watch. (2020). Israel/Gaza: Medical Evacuations Denied. [online] Available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/09/29/israelgaza-medical-evacuations-denied
[3] United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (2020). Gaza: Health sector remains under severe strain amid COVID-19 pandemic. [online] Available at: https://www.ochaopt.org/content/gaza-health-sector-remains-under-severe-strain-amid-covid-19-pandemic
[4] World Health Organization. (2020). Gaza Strip: Health system on verge of collapse. [online] Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/gaza-strip-health-system-on-verge-of-collapse
[5] Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights. (2020). The Right to Health in Gaza: A Humanitarian Crisis. [online] Available at: https://www.almezan.org/en/publications/reports/the-right-to-health-in-gaza-a-humanitarian-crisis/
- The international community and humanitarian organizations have raised concerns over Israel's policy restricting medical evacuations from Gaza, citing it as a violation of international humanitarian law.
- Amid the ongoing political tension, debates over offering medical treatment to injured children from Gaza and Israel in Germany have included discussions on war-and-conflicts, politics, general-news, and crime-and-justice, with some considering it a humanitarian issue while others prefer focusing on regional security concerns.
