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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Jordan evacuates 4 child cancer patients from Gaza, as it slowly works to meet commitment to Trump |
| 2025-05-15 |
| [IsraelTimes] Jordan carried out a medical evacuation of four child cancer patients and 12 of their family members from Gaza to the Hashemite kingdom earlier today, a Jordanian official tells The Times of Israel. This follows King Abdullah’s announcement during a February meeting with US President Donald Trump that Jordan would take in 2,000 child cancer patients from Gaza, as Washington sought to push countries in the region to facilitate the emigration of Palestinians from the war-torn Strip. The total number of cancer patients taken in by Jordan now stands at 33, after 29 were medically evacuated in March along with 44 family members. The slow pace and small number of evacuations have reportedly been a point of tension for US Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. and Democratic House Representative Nancy Pelosi, who have both raised their frustration with Jordanian counterparts. Politico reported that Jordanian officials in response noted that Israel was refusing to commit to allowing those who leave to return upon completion of their treatment, leaving family members unable to reunite with their loved ones. The Israeli stance has significantly hampered efforts to find countries to take Gazans, particularly given increasing comments from government officials in Jerusalem about plans to permanently occupy the Strip and build settlements in places where Palestinians once lived. The Jordanian official tells The Times of Israel that Amman is still committed to meeting Abdullah’s pledge to Trump, despite the challenges. “Jordan wanted to evacuate all the children from Gaza by air, but Israeli authorities didn’t agree,” the Jordanian official says, adding that the evacuations took place by land, with patients being driven into Israel and then through the West Bank before reaching Jordan. The transport through Israel ostensibly required the cooperation of Israeli authorities, but a separate Jordanian statement only mentions cooperation with the World Health Organization. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #1 BBC joins injured Gazan children as they arrive in Jordan |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2025-05-15 05:19 |