There was intense fighting reported around hospitals in the Gaza Strip on Monday as more than two dozen premature babies were transferred across the border for treatment in Egypt.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said ambulances departed on Monday from Gaza’s Emirati Hospital carrying 28 babies to Egypt’s Rafah crossing.
Footage on Egypt’s al-Qahera News showed each baby transferred into an incubator and then into an Egyptian ambulance. The babies were taken to hospitals in Cairo and North Sinai.
On Sunday, the premature babies were taken from the besieged al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza to the Emirati Hospital in the southern part of the enclave. Two babies died before the evacuation got under way.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that doctors in Gaza said all the babies are fighting serious infections due to lack of medical supplies, and several are in critical condition.
None of the infants were accompanied by relatives as close family members could not be found, the WHO said, citing Palestinian medical officials.
After six weeks of war, Gaza’s remaining hospitals are collapsing due to a shortage of supplies while being overwhelmed by huge numbers of injured. (DPA)
