Israel 'to take in 100 Syrian orphans' Published duration 26 January 2017 Related Topics Syrian civil war

image copyright AFP image caption Under the plan, the children could be allowed to stay indefinitely

Israel has for the first time approved a plan to give asylum to 100 children orphaned in the Syria conflict.

According to Israeli media reports, the children will initially get temporary residency status and allowed to stay indefinitely after four years.

Israel has technically been at war with Syria for decades, but has officially taken a position of neutrality in the current conflict.

It has however brought in thousands of casualties for medical treatment.

Under the plan, the orphans would be housed in dormitories to begin with, then absorbed into the education system, Israel's Channel 10 News reported.

They could also be taken in by foster families or adopted at a later stage, the report said.

Israel is also considering special provisions to eventually allow other immediate family members to join them, according to the report.

In recent years, Israel has treated more than 2,600 casualties from the war, in hospitals in Israel or in a military field hospital on the occupied Golan Heights.