Fri, 18:21 27 Feb 2009 GMT17

 

Belgium delays Gaza mission as evacuee flow stops
12 Jan 2009 11:46:12 GMT
Source: Reuters
BRUSSELS, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Belgium has postponed a humanitarian mission to treat and transport injured Palestinian children from Gaza because security conditions are hampering their evacuation, the foreign ministry said on Monday.

"We still believe the demand is there, but under present safety conditions, we cannot do it," ministry spokesman Bart Ouvry said.

A Belgian C-130 aircraft carrying medical supplies and a reconnaissance team was meant to land at the weekend in Egypt's El-Arish, some 60 km (40 miles) from the Gaza Strip.

The Belgians planned to fly injured Gazan children to hospitals in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan or Europe after they had been evacuated from the territory by local aid groups.

But Ouvry said the fighting had prevented any wounded being brought through the Rafah crossing into Egypt for several days.

Medical facilities in Gaza have been overwhelmed since Israel began a military offensive there on Dec. 27, in response to cross-border rocket attacks by Hamas.

Belgium's fellow EU members Luxembourg, Cyprus and Greece have also offered to provide hospital beds or additional medical flights. (Reporting by Anne Jolis; editing by Kevin Liffey)
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A boy smiles to the camera at a slum in Mumbai February 27, 2009. According to a recent report by United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), more than 1.5 million children ...



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