Palestinian Siamese twins Retag and Rittal, born joined at the abdomen a week ago, have been admitted to Riyadh's King Abdul Aziz Medical City where they will be examined by experts. On Friday, King Abdullah authorized the transfer of the conjoined twins from the Gaza Strip to the Riyadh hospital where surgeons will attempt to separate them. The twins, daughters of Yasser Abu Assi, were born in Khan Yunis in the south of the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli blockade since June 2007 and where medical facilities are poor. Health Minister Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said the twins would be examined by surgeons with a view to performing an operation to separate them. At least 20 such operations have been successfully carried out in the Kingdom in the past 18 years, with most of the costs being borne by members of the royal family.
