Three special flights of the Italian Air Force, carrying a group of Palestinian children evacuated from the Gaza Strip who will receive medical treatment in Italy, are departing from Eilat Airport in southern Israel. The first aircraft is scheduled to arrive this evening at Rome – Ciampino Airport, where the group will be welcomed on behalf of the Government by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani. The other two planes will land at Milan Linate and Pisa airports, respectively.
This marks the 14th medical evacuation carried out by Italy since January 2024. It is also the largest operation to date, with 31 patients and their accompanying family members, totalling nearly 120 people. The young patients all suffer from serious congenital conditions or significant injuries and amputations. Upon arrival, they will be transferred to different regions across the country (Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardy, Tuscany, Umbria, and Veneto) for admission to various hospitals.
The operation is coordinated by the Office of the Prime Minister, through cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Civil Protection Department, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Civil Protection Mechanism. The operation expands Italy’s humanitarian efforts for the civilian population of the Gaza Strip to include medical and healthcare assistance, as part of the Food for Gaza project.
With this latest medical evacuation, the number of children from Gaza and their family members (a total of 580 people) welcomed in Italy under the country’s humanitarian operations will exceed 180 children. Including those who have arrived in Italy for family reunification, the total number of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip received in Italy since the start of the war now stands at 917.
Italy thus confirms its position as the fourth country in the world – and the first among European nations – to have organised air evacuations and the transfer of patients from the Gaza Strip to specialised hospitals.
