Netanyahu Postpones the Evacuation of 150 Sick and Wounded Children from Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed the evacuation of 150 sick and wounded Palestinian children from Gaza to the UAE, Israeli media reported on Sunday.

A source told Haaretz that Netanyahu made the decision in response to the killing of 12 Arab Druze children in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israel blamed the massacre on Hezbollah, while Hezbollah denied the accusation and said the children were hit with an Israeli air defense rocket.

Netanyahu’s decision to punish the sick and wounded children was denounced by the group Physicians for Human Rights, which called the move a “cruel game by the Israeli government with children’s lives.”

Last week, Haaretz reported that Netanyahu instructed his government to arrange transport of sick and wounded Palestinians from Gaza to a third country for treatment. The first plane was due to take off on Monday, but the flight has been canceled.

Netanyahu also previously canceled a plan to set up a field inside Israel to treat Gaza’s children. Some children have been evacuated through Egypt for medical care, but the Israeli capture of the Rafah border crossing on May 7 cut off that vital lifeline.

Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza has been a war on children, who make up about half of the Gaza Strip’s population. According to Gaza’s Media Office, 16,000 Palestinian children have been killed by the Israeli assault, and about 38,000 have been wounded.