Children from Gaza Strip to receive medical treatment in Armenia

ArmInfo. A total of 16.7 million drams (approx. $43,000) will be allocated for the  transport and medical treatment of children from the Gaza Strip in  Armenia. The decision was made during a government meeting on August  20.

According to the rationale provided for the draft decision, the funds  will be allocated to the Armenian Ministry of Health from the  government's Contingency Fund.

Initial plans discussed the evacuation and treatment of up to 10  children. The Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the Ministry of  Foreign Affairs and the World Health Organization (WHO), prepared to  transfer up to 10 children with severe health conditions from Gaza to  Armenia and arrange for their care at local medical facilities.  However, following initial health evaluations, 7 patients were  selected whose medical conditions could be treated in Armenia. Of  those, only 3 families agreed to the condition of being accompanied  by a maximum of one guardian in Armenia.

Concurrently, the Ministry of Health sent an official invitation to  the competent authorities of the State of Palestine via diplomatic  channels, confirming that the patients would receive the necessary  medical care in Armenia and that accommodation expenses for  accompanying persons would be covered throughout the treatment  period. To ensure the patients and their companions receive  passports, the Ministry of Health submitted a request through the  Ministry of Foreign Affairs asking Palestinian authorities to issue  passports to enable proper medical evacuation, entry into Armenia,  and their stay for the duration of the treatment.

According to international partners involved in evacuating patients  from the Gaza Strip, two evacuation routes are currently operational:  via Egypt: through the Rafah crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border  (evacuations take place on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays) and via  Jordan:  through the Allenby Bridge crossing on the Israel-Jordan  border (evacuations take place every Monday).

Medical evacuation will only be possible upon obtaining final  approval from the joint committee formed by the responsible  authorities of the State of Israel and the State of Palestine.

Given the lengthy and complex document verification process by Israel  and Palestine required for transit through Egypt—which carries a high  probability of denial—as well as logistical feasibility, the  Jordanian route has been selected as the preferred option.

The transportation of patients and accompanying persons (a total of  six people) is planned to be organized as follows: by ground  transport (minibus) from the Allenby checkpoint to Amman  International Airport, then by air from Amman to Yerevan. Depending  on the flight schedule, overnight accommodation in Amman may be  required. Since the patients' health condition allows for  transportation without the use of specialized medical aviation, the  evacuation is planned to be carried out using a combination of ground  transportation and regular flights from Amman to Yerevan.