Gaza, Crosetto guarantees: “Italy will welcome one hundred Palestinian children”

Yesterday a videoconference meeting was held between the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, and his French counterpart, Sébastien Lecornu, to discuss current topics. The two ministers, a note said, addressed the delicate situation in the Red Sea, highlighting a substantial identity of views and expressing the desire to give rapid impetus to a European mission in which non-EU countries that share the importance of transport free shipping and whose trade routes are threatened by Houthi terrorist attacks. During the exchange, the serious situation in the Gaza Strip was also discussed, which at the moment only sees Rome and Paris committed to providing health support with their own onboard and military hospitals. However, the initiative was not followed by other countries and this is quite worrying, also in relation to the fact that hospital ships from both countries will have to return soon for logistical and operational reasons. Italy is planning to send a military field hospital and, to that end, discussions are ongoing with Egypt, also given the prohibitive security conditions in the Gaza Strip.

Also on this subject “Rome and Paris could work together and hope that other countries can also join the initiative, as Qatar did in the case of the Vulcano ship”. Italy “will welcome around a hundred Palestinian children suffering from serious complications who, accompanied by their families, will receive healthcare in some hospital facilities in the national territory”. “The delicate situation in the Red Sea” was at the center of the conversation. The two ministers highlighted “a substantial identity of views” and “expressed the desire to give rapid impetus to a European mission in which non-EU countries that share the importance of free navigation and whose trade routes are put in danger also may participate in Houthi terrorist attacks.”