At the request of German authorities, Israel facilitated the transfer to the West Bank of approximately 60 orphans, aged 3 to 15, from a German-funded Gaza orphanage that ceased operations due to the war.
Germany submitted a special request to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Israel's liaison to the Palestinians, to allow the relocation of orphans to a new facility in Bethlehem, a request to which Israel agreed.
The children traveled from Gaza to Egypt via the Rafah crossing, and then by bus through the Taba crossing into Israel, en route to Bethlehem across Israeli territory.
The unusual gesture was not approved by Security Cabinet ministers, which drew the ire of some of its members.
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Finance Minister and senior Cabinet member Bezalel Smotrich criticized the move, saying, “He who is compassionate to the cruel will ultimately become cruel to the compassionate. This represents a moral lapse. I demand clarifications from the prime minister on who authorized this unethical order and by what authority, especially while our hostages and their children languish in enemy captivity."
Echoing Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said, "This is not how a state seeking total victory behaves. Countless 'fake humanitarian gestures' continue while Israeli citizens pay the price. In war, we must crush the enemy, not constantly display weakness."