Switzerland to Provide Medical Treatment and Asylum for 20 Injured Children from Gaza

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in the central Gaza Strip as Switzerland announces plans to provide medical aid.

Switzerland has announced its intention to accept approximately 20 injured children from Gaza for specialized medical treatment, according to a government statement released Friday.

The exact timeline for the evacuation remains uncertain due to the ongoing volatile situation in Gaza, though coordination efforts are actively underway to facilitate the transfer.

Patient selection will be conducted in close partnership with the World Health Organization, which maintains comprehensive databases of patients requiring evacuation. Security assessments will be performed for both the selected children and their accompanying family members.

Upon their arrival in Switzerland, the children and their families will be processed through the standard asylum system.

The Swiss government will assume responsibility for coordination and transportation expenses, while medical costs will be voluntarily covered by the receiving Swiss cantons or the treating hospitals themselves.

According to WHO records, approximately 19,000 patients in Gaza currently require medical evacuation, including 4,000 children. Many suffer from life-threatening injuries or medical conditions that cannot be adequately treated within Gaza's compromised healthcare system.

The conflict in Gaza is approaching its two-year milestone with no ceasefire agreement in sight. The war has resulted in widespread destruction and claimed over 65,000 Palestinian lives, according to local health authorities' reports.

The conflict began following Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and the taking of 251 hostages, according to Israeli government figures.