Israel/Palestinian Territories – More wounded Palestinian children cared for in French hospitals (24 January 2024)

France is continuing its action to provide medical and humanitarian support for civilians in Gaza. As the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs reiterated yesterday at the United Nations Security Council, this support consists in:

• treating the wounded on board the Dixmude in el-Arish. Around 1,000 medical procedures have been carried out there;
• supporting NGO medical structures in Gaza or those being operated by partner countries, including Jordan;
• sending medical cargo;
• ensuring the medical evacuation to France of children whose treatment requires access to specialist paediatric care.

In the last of these actions, conducted jointly by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Labour, Health and Solidarity, seven Palestinian children were transferred to French hospitals today. This is the second operation of this kind.

France thanks the Egyptian authorities for their support in ensuring these evacuations went ahead smoothly.

France remains extremely concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the lack of food, drinking water and medicines has, for several weeks, been exposing the civilian population to a very serious health and food crisis.

As M. Stéphane Séjourné, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, reiterated in his speech to the United Nations Security Council on 23 January, we must work immediately towards a lasting ceasefire, which alone can end the suffering of Gaza’s civilians.