Greek FM suggests bringing Gaza's children to EU
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Greece is discussing the possibility of the European Union hosting children impacted by the war in Gaza.
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George Gerapetritis, 56, the new Greek foreign minister makes statements during a handover ceremony, in Athens, Greece, on Tuesday, June 27, 2023. (AP)
Europe must host children impacted by the war in Gaza for as long as it continues, Greece's Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis told Reuters on Wednesday.
Reportedly, Gerapetritis was actively searching for partnerships for a project that would temporarily transport Gazan children to countries within the European Union. The idea was proposed and discussed with Palestinian Foreign Minister Mohammad Mustafa throughout the week.
He stressed that the "tragedy" must be faced sooner rather than later, saying "Europe should be open to injured people from [Gaza] but also to children who are now facing famine or other sorts of dangers."
Gerapetritis also highlighted the "tremendous" psychological trauma kids in Gaza suffer from because of the war.
Greece believes its links to the Arab world could facilitate its role as a peace broker in the region, more so after it was elected as a member of the United Nations Security Council for 2025-2026 earlier in June.
However, Gerapetritis did not provide estimations on how many Gazan refugees his country or the EU could host but mentioned the project was being discussed with Palestinian authorities. More notably, he stressed that it was not linked to regular migration due to sensitivities on the matter and far-right opposition within the EU.
"This is an obvious call of humanitarian assistance. We're not talking here about economic migrants or other types of irregular migration," the foreign minister said, amid the emergence of far-right political parties in European elections, and emphasized that the project must be launched as soon as possible.
Two birds, one stone?
Gerapetritis also expressed hopes of a ceasefire, which would consequently halt the Yemeni Armed Forces' operations in the Red Sea.
Due to the aggression on Gaza and Yemen, the Ansar Allah movement imposed a ban on Israeli or "Israel"-bound ships in the Red Sea. Any ship that violates the ban would be targeted by the Yemeni Resistance.
Last week, maritime security firms and shipping sources said that a Greek-owned cargo ship was struck by a small craft off Yemen's Red Sea port of Hodeidah and was not under the command of the crew after sustaining damage in its engine room.
The EU had previously launched a naval mission in the Red Sea, coined Aspides, Greek for "shield", to counter the YAF's operations. The coalition was spearheaded by a Greek commander.
