(Times of Israel) Dov Lieber - Israel will treat any Syrian who requires serious medical assistance, no matter who they are. Medical assistance to Syrian civil war casualties, the IDF says, is a humanitarian initiative. Over 2,000 Syrians have been treated in Israel since December 2013. Many are women and children. Of the 600 Syrian patients treated to date at Safed hospital, of whom 80% arrived with severe orthopedic trauma, only nine have died. Many return to Syria able to walk again, with orthopedic devices that can cost up to $3,000 each. Each patient costs the Israeli taxpayer about $15,000. Dr. Nir Boms, a research fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University and at the International Center for Counter Terrorism in Herzliya, argues that Israel is also forming important contacts and relationships with Syrian groups just across the border. These local groups help keep the area safe, and keep channels of communication open to the other side.
2016-03-22 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive