Darwin, September 25: The Netherlands is seeking to build an international coalition to evacuate at least 1,000 sick and injured children from Gaza for medical treatment, as tensions deepen between the country and Israel over the war in Gaza. Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sjoerd Sjoerdsma said the Netherlands is urging Israel to change its policies and allow greater access for humanitarian aid and medical evacuations.
Speaking to Arab News on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Sjoerdsma said the scale of suffering among sick and injured children in Gaza had reached a level that left the Netherlands with no choice but to take action.
“The number of injured and sick children in Gaza is horrific. Humanitarian assistance is not reaching them, and that is unacceptable,” Sjoerdsma said, stressing the need to move the children to safe locations for medical treatment.
At an event titled “Call to Action for Palestinian Children,” hosted by the European Union, Belgium and Jordan on Wednesday, he also criticized Israel’s restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, describing the situation as “shameful.”
The Dutch government has announced a €12 million ($13.6 million) aid package to provide emergency medical treatment for sick children from Gaza. Under the initiative, 250 seriously ill and injured children are planned to be transferred to Jordan for treatment.
The Netherlands will coordinate its efforts with the World Health Organization (WHO). Of the funding announced, €6 million will be used to support the treatment and evacuation of children in Jordan. Jordan’s King Abdullah II had launched an initiative in early 2025 to provide medical treatment to 2,000 children from Gaza.
However, the initiative remains small compared with the scale of the need. According to WHO data, approximately 18,500 patients from Gaza are waiting to be evacuated for medical treatment. The evacuation of children funded by the Netherlands will also depend on approval from Israel.
The possibility that children evacuated from Gaza may not be able to return has raised concerns among Palestinians. Sjoerdsma said he fully understood those fears and was working diplomatically in New York to address the issue.
His goal is to evacuate at least 1,000 children from Gaza for medical treatment while building a diplomatic coalition that would allow them to return to their families and friends in Gaza after treatment.
The Netherlands believes that using countries in the region to provide medical treatment would be relatively more effective. Sjoerdsma said that while the Netherlands could treat one child from Gaza, Jordan could treat between 40 and 50 children during the same period.
The Netherlands is also pressuring Israel to reopen the route for patients from Gaza to receive medical treatment in the occupied West Bank. Before October 2023, approximately 90 patients from Gaza travelled to the West Bank every day for specialized medical care.
Blaming the Israeli government’s policies for the current situation in Gaza, Sjoerdsma said the devastation there was not the result of a natural disaster. According to him, the situation had been created by the Israeli government.
He said this was why the Netherlands was seeking to take a leading role within the European Union in efforts to halt the Israeli government’s actions. On Tuesday, the Netherlands banned the import, purchase and sale of products originating from illegal Israeli settlements.
The Dutch government has also called for the unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza. The country has pledged to expand opportunities for medical evacuations and support healthcare services in Gaza and surrounding regions.
Sjoerdsma believes four changes are necessary to normalize relations with Israel. He said Israel must comply with international law and international humanitarian law, allow unhindered humanitarian aid into Gaza, halt settlement construction in the West Bank, and adopt a constructive position on a two-state solution.
Emphasizing the Netherlands’ continued friendship with the Israeli people, Sjoerdsma clarified that its objections were primarily directed at the policies of the Israeli government.
In a direct message to Israel, he concluded: “Help us rebuild our friendship. Change your course.”
Source: Arab News
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