JERUSALEM
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Thursday the establishment of a field hospital to treat Palestinian children injured in Israel’s ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip.
“Netanyahu has notified in writing that he does not approve the establishment of a hospital for Gazans within Israel – and therefore it will not be established,” his office said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s office announced the establishment of the field hospital, saying it was due to the extended closure of Gaza’s Rafah crossing into Egypt.
“This is a significant short-term solution that will address immediate humanitarian needs until a permanent mechanism is established to evacuate and treat ill children,” his office said.
On May 7, the Israeli army seized control of the southern Rafah crossing connecting Gaza and Egypt following an announcement by Tel Aviv of a military operation in the densely populated city of Rafah, disregarding international warnings about the repercussions.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has since deteriorated due to the blocking of aid and the suspension of patient transfers for medical treatment abroad, compounded by the closure of most hospitals in the enclave.
Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
More than 38,800 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 89,400 injured, according to local health authorities.
Over nine months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala