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After flying to Israel for treatment days after being born last year, the Syrian baby is back in Israel again to receive Israeli care. 

By: United with Israel Staff

A Syrian baby suffering from heart problems was flown from Cyprus to Israel on Tuesday to receive special treatment at Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheba.

“As a mother-diplomat-Israeli wishing a quick recovery,” tweeted Noga Caspi, Deputy Head of Israel’s Mission to Cyprus.

This is the second time the baby is in Israel for treatment, in December, just days after he was born, he was airlifted from the refugee camp in Cyprus he was born at to Israel for emergency surgery to repair a life-threatening heart defect. His life was saved thanks to the procedure.

At the time, the Cypriot authorities approached the Israeli embassy in the country with an urgent request to treat the baby. After receiving special authorization from Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, the baby arrived with his father and received the life-saving treatment.

The baby and its father remained in Israel for some time before flying back to Cyprus.

One of Many Stories

Israel has long extended aid to Syrian refugees on its border and elsewhere, and this is far from the first time that a Syrian child received lifesaving medical aid in Israel.

In March, a pregnant Syrian woman entered Israel to be treated at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa to receive treatment to save her life and that of her baby.

Last November as part of Operation Good Neighbor, the IDF equipped a new maternity clinic over the border in Syria. The clinic is staffed entirely by Syrian healthcare workers using equipment donated by Israel. Hundreds of pregnant women have sought medical care at the new clinic, and dozens have given birth there.

Speaking to a TV reporter, another Syrian mother said that in the past, “Israel was thought of as the enemy… Now that you are helping us, most [on the Syrian side of the Golan] are with you. They love Israel. They see the true face… the reality.”

In addition, over the past five years, over 4,000 wounded Syrians have been treated in Israeli hospitals.