Fourteen Gaza children flown to Italy for treatment

Over a dozen Palestinian children, many with cancer, have been flown to Italy for medical treatment, the latest among many brought from Gaza since the beginning of Israel's war on the strip, the foreign ministry said Friday.

The 14 children and their families, a total of 45 people, had on Wednesday crossed the Rafah border from Gaza into Egypt, where they underwent medical checks at the Italian hospital in Cairo, officials said.

They were flown to Italy on an Italian military plane, and greeted at Rome's Ciampino airport on Thursday evening by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

Treating the children was part of Italy's efforts to promote peace and dialogue in the region, he said on Friday: "Diplomacy made of solidarity, which restores hope to the most fragile and defenceless.

"Every child we bring to Italy is a sign of hope, a commitment to life and the future," said Italian Defence Secretary Guido Crosetto.