Gilad Shalit flag at Erez crossing (archives)
Photo: Reuters
Israel lets Hamas man's child into Jordan
Fathi Hamad's daughter transferred to Amman hospital as per King Abdullah's request
The three-year-old daughter of Fathi Hamad, a senior Hamas
member serving as the Gaza government's interior minister, was transferred to Jordan
from a hospital in the Strip over the weekend as part of a humanitarian gesture.
Israeli security officials approved the transfer after following a request made by Jordan's King Abdullah, as the girl was in serious danger.
Hamad's daughter and her mother left the Gaza Strip through the Erez crossing. The girl received initial medical care in the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon and was then flown to a hospital in Amman on a Jordanian helicopter.
A defense establishment official explained that despite the unusual request and the fact that the girl's father is a Hamas man, Israel decided to approve the humanitarian move in order to save the girl's life.
The source added that it would have been wrong to turn down the request, despite the fact that Hamad is a senior Hamas member involved in the negotiations aimed at securing the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.
