Egyptian media reported on Monday that a group of 29 premature babies had been transported to Egypt from Gaza’s primary hospital. The evacuation occurred due to the hospital’s involvement in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, becoming a significant focal point in the ongoing war.
On Sunday, infants were rescued from Al-Shifa hospital, labeled a “death zone” by the World Health Organization (WHO), amid Israel’s efforts to investigate alleged Hamas bases located in tunnels beneath the facility.
According to Al-Qahera News, babies entered Egypt through the Rafah crossing, the sole gateway to and from Palestinian territory not under Israeli control.
Initially, 31 babies were said to have been evacuated from Al-Shifa to another Gaza clinic. However, the reason for only 29 of them reaching Egypt immediately remains unclear.
Al-Qahera News reported that the infants who were moved on Monday were placed into incubators.
According to a medical source speaking to media, not all the infants would receive treatment at El-Arish hospital, located 45 kilometers (28 miles) west of the Gaza Strip.
“There are not enough incubators at El-Arish hospital, and some babies will have to be transferred to Ismailia or Cairo,” the source said.
On Sunday, WHO’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced that 31 “very ill” infants were relocated in a collaborative effort involving the UN and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
The Red Crescent stated that doctors discovered “all the babies are fighting serious infections due to lack of medical supplies and impossibility to continue infection control measures in Al-Shifa Hospital”, the Red Crescent said.
According to the WHO, none of the infants were accompanied by family members during the initial evacuation. The Gaza health ministry overseen by Hamas struggled to locate them.