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Haaretz Service
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Two Iraqi children are scheduled to arrive in Israel on Thursday for emergency open heart surgery, as part of an Israeli initiative to treat children from around the world who would otherwise not have access to such operations.

The 5-month-old girl and 11-year-old boy were selected from among 40 other Iraqi children during a one-day cardiology clinic held in Jordan earlier this week by the Israeli-based organization Save A Child's Heart.

The children were chosen due to the severity of their heart conditions, which are immediately life-threatening. The 40 children traveled to Jordan from Iraq with their parents to be screened by a SACH medical team.

The project received logistical support from the Christian Zionist group, Shevet Achim, and medical facilities were provided by the Red Crescent Hospital in Amman. The screening was conducted using a portable echocardiogram supplied by General Electric.

SACH has performed heart surgery on 35 Iraqi children and over 1700 children from 28 other countries since its inception in 1996. Nearly half of the children treated are Palestinians or residents of other Arab countries.

The children are treated at the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon and are housed at the SACH Children's Home in Azur for the duration of their treatment.