Spain evacuates 44 injured or ill children from Gaza

Spain has evacuated 44 wounded or ill children from war-torn Gaza along with about 100 of their relatives over the past several months, the government said Tuesday.

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Four separate evacuation missions were carried out in coordination with international organisations and allied nations, Spain’s migration ministry, which led the operations, said in a statement.

The children and their families have been relocated across Spain to receive medical treatment, it added.

Those brought to Spain will be eligible to apply for asylum.

Migration Minister Elma Saiz said the operations demonstrated that “solidarity and international cooperation save lives”.

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government has been among the most vocal critics in the European Union of Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza.

The war was triggered by an unprecedented cross-border attack by Hamas into Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the death of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data.

In response, Israel launched an offensive that has killed at least 61,499 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.