A team of medical and humanitarian groups successfully evacuated 31 premature babies from Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza on Sunday the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) announced.
They were transported to the south of Gaza to the Emirates Hospital in Rafah by PRCS ambulances as a prelude to making preparations for their entry to Egypt the group said.
The evacuation was organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and other UN organizations.
Just a day earlier a joint UN humanitarian assessment team led by the WHO entered Al-Shifa to see first-hand the dire circumstances of the facility the groups said.
For its part the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said that “today 31 babies clinging to life were rescued from Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza and relocated to the south of the Strip.”
“UNICEF working with WHO UNRWA OCHA UNMAS as part of an interagency UN effort alongside the Palestinian Red Crescent Society medical authorities and staff at the hospital conducted the operation during extremely dangerous conditions” the UN organization said on its website.
“The newborns condition was rapidly deteriorating and follows the tragic death of several other babies and total collapse of all medical services at Al-Shifa.”
“The newborns were transferred following requests from the health authorities in temperature-controlled incubators under the supervision of medical staff from Al-Shifa hospital to the Al-Helal Al-Emarati Hospital in Rafah southern Gaza where their condition is now being stabilized and they are being cared for in the neonatal intensive care unit.”
“UNICEF and partners are supporting the identification and registration of the babies to help trace and reunify them with their parents and family members where possible.”
