A group of 28 premature babies from Gaza were evacuated from a hospital in the besieged Palestinian enclave to Egypt for treatment, according to Egyptian television footage and a doctor at a Palestinian hospital.
“The babies came to me from al-Shifa hospital. They were in a catastrophic condition when they arrived here,” said Dr Mohammad Salama, head of the neonatal unit at Al-Helal Al-Emirati maternity hospital in Rafah, southern Gaza.
Medical staff on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing were seen on Monday carefully retrieving babies from inside ambulances and placing them in mobile incubators, which were then transported across a parking lot to other ambulances.
The babies, out of a total of 31 who were transferred on Sunday from the besieged al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City to the Rafah maternity ward as a first step towards evacuation, wore only diapers and tiny green hats.
“All 28 babies have now arrived safely in Egypt. Three babies are still in the UAE hospital and continue to receive treatment,” a World Health Organization spokesperson said in an emailed response to the Reuters news agency.
Asked about the babies’ condition, he said: “All the babies are battling serious infections and continue to need health care. »
