Israel says 68 poorly children have left Gaza in medical evacuation

Palestinian children with chronic diseases stand next to their mother as they wait to leave the Gaza Strip (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)

Israeli authorities have said 68 poorly and injured children and their companions have been allowed out of the Gaza Strip and into Egypt in the first medical evacuation since May, when the territory’s sole travel crossing was shut down.

COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, said on Thursday that the evacuation was carried out in co-ordination with officials from the United States, Egypt and the international community.