Rome, 8 November 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Italy is sending a ship with an integrated hospital and its own operating theatres to waters off the coast of the Gaza Strip.

"We are the first to carry out such a humanitarian operation in this area and we hope that other countries will follow us," said Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto at an event in Rome on Wednesday.

The Vulcano naval vessel will be used to treat injured people from the sealed-off coastal strip.

According to Crosetto, the ship has a crew of around 170 people, including 30 Italian Navy personnel specially trained for medical emergencies. It is due to depart from the harbour city of Civitavecchia near Rome on Wednesday.

It will stop at Cyprus before continuing from there to the area closest to the Gaza Strip. Injured people will be brought on board for treatment, and then returned to Gaza.

There are also plans to send a field hospital to Gaza soon, according to Crosetto, which will enable treatment to be offered on land. This is part of a series of initiatives that have been agreed with NATO states and other countries in Europe and the Middle East.

Photo: MIA archive