MOSCOW, August 6 (RIA Novosti) - Children wounded in the Gaza conflict may be brought to Ontario hospitals for medical care, Canada's Health Minister Eric Hoskins said.
“We received a formal request from Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish to make the necessary resources available to allow our hospitals to support kids who need medical attention due to the conflict,” Hoskins said on Tuesday.
According to Hoskins, preliminary talks with both the Department of Foreign Affairs and Israeli representatives to aid in the effort have been positive.
Israeli and Palestinian authorities have also indicated their cooperation in the effort to help children wounded.
Hoskins hopes to bring attention to the effort in order to begin the process of transporting the wounded children to Canada.
So far, five Ontario hospitals, including Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, have agreed to treat the children. A possibility of raising funds towards costly requirements such as transport and accommodations has been confirmed by Hoskins. Some medical staff has offered to aid in the effort for free.
After weeks of combat, Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas currently controlling the Gaza Strip on Israel’s southwest border have recently agreed on a three-day ceasefire.
Thousands have been wounded in addition to an estimated 1,900 Palestinians killed including hundreds of children as a result of the conflict. A reported 64 soldiers and three civilians have been killed in Israel so far.
