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The first two seriously ill children from the Gaza Strip will arrive in the Netherlands this week. Both kids have cancer and will be treated by the Princess Maxima Center for pediatric oncology in Utrecht, the children’s hospital announced to Dutch media. According to the hospital, the two children and their immediate families have been granted visas for medical stays. They’ll be accommodated and cared for near the hospital. How long they’ll stay “depends on the treatment the children will require.” After resisting for a long time, the caretaker Cabinet agreed earlier this month to bring seriously ill children from Gaza to the Netherlands for treatment. The Dutch government long held on to the idea that these kids should be accommodated by countries in the region, but ultimately gave in to pressure from aid organizations and other parties in parliament. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working to “bring several children from Gaza to the Netherlands,” a spokesperson told NOS. The Ministry was not involved with these two children coming to the Utrecht hospital, the spokesperson said.
