French helicopter carrier Dixmude has docked in Egypt and could start treating wounded children from Gaza later this week, Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said.
Dixmude is the first Western military ship to dock in Egypt since the conflict started. It moored on Monday at El Arish, some 50km (31 miles) west of Gaza.
“We have this ship, which has been transformed into a hospital and which arrived yesterday. It has 40 beds,” Lecornu told Europe 1 radio.
With two operating theatres, the warship can treat those with light injuries before moving to hospitals on the ground.
Paris has also made 50 beds available in France for seriously wounded and sick children in Gaza, which could include cancer patients.
French officials said about 22 civilian doctors, including 16 surgeons and six paediatricians, are on board the ship.
Source: AlJazeera
