Desperate Gazan patients accomodated in Tunisian hospitals
Following the news that 29 Gazan patients were flown into the North African country for urgent medical treatment recently, Tunisia promised on December 5 to accommodate hundreds more, according to The National.
Another 150 from the blockaded territory, home to around 2.2 million inhabitants, will be flown into the capital Tunis for essential healthcare.
Since October 7, Israel has bombed hospitals, including Al-Shifa which is Gaza’s main hospital, that are now no longer fit for purpose.
The distressing images circulating on social media of babies being removed from incubators and being lined up on a hospital bed emphasises the dire crisis taking place in the Palestinian enclave as well as highlighting the atrocities caused by bellicose Israeli forces.
The Palestinian Health Ministry stated that since October 7, over 16,000 Gazans have been slaughtered as the conflict continues due to talks of further truce extensions between Hamas and Israel stalling because Israeli intelligence agency Mossad walked away from the negotiating table in Qatar.
Tunisian President Kais Saied visited the country’s military hospital on December 4 and told Palestinian patients, “This is our duty and we will work to support you in every way possible.
READ: EU claims Israel could become a pariah state over Gaza bloodshed
“This is the first batch [of Gazans] that have arrived in Tunisia and another one will arrive within two days … Tunisia is always open for you and we will put all of our efforts and capabilities at your service.”
Saied has long taken a pro-Palestinian approach and affirmed that Palestinians had a right to reclaim their stolen land.
In a video posted on the official Tunisian Presidency Facebook page, the head of state can be heard addressing the troubling situation in Palestine, “Where is humanity in the free world?”
29 Gazans were flown in on the night of December 3 on a military aircraft to the Tunisian capital where they received much needed medical treatment.
It was reported that the flight took off from El Arish Airport, 350 km northeast of the Egyptian capital Cairo and near the country’s border with Gaza.
Tunisia’s Ambassador in Egypt, Mohamed Ben Youssef said, “We are currently coordinating with Egyptian authorities, which has been quite responsive, to conclude the final list of the injured that will arrive in Tunisia in the upcoming few days,” .
The National/ Tunisian Red Crescent
