The Egyptian Ministry of Health has announced its preparations to receive 36 newborns currently housed in Al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip, emphasizing the critical nature of the transfer operation.
Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar told CNN on Tuesday, “We have been asked to accommodate 36 newborns in incubators. I am working with my team and the authorities to try to transport them here as soon as possible.”
He further explained, “We have 36 ambulances equipped with portable ventilators waiting at the border to receive these children… and bring them immediately to our hospitals.”
Abdel Ghaffar described the process of transferring the infants as “challenging,” stating, “The transport itself is a significant challenge because you need a prepared ambulance with mobile incubators to attempt to bring them to the border, and we must be ready to receive them immediately.”
He also mentioned the coordination with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, which informed him that they are “trying to place three babies in one incubator because they do not have sufficient energy to support them individually.”
Abdel Ghaffar stressed that the Egyptian Red Crescent is “prepared at the Rafah border crossing to receive the children,” emphasizing the importance of time as every minute without transport increases the risk to their lives.
The Shifa Medical Complex houses nearly 1,500 people, including medical staff, patients, and wounded individuals.
Among them are premature infants and around 7,000 displaced persons, all enduring difficult conditions due to power outages and the hospital’s loss of functionality due to fuel shortages.
Earlier, three premature babies out of 39 in Dar Al-Shifa Complex, the largest hospital in Gaza, passed away due to fuel depletion, causing the incubators to stop working, according to Palestinian paramedics.
In related news, the Israeli military announced on Wednesday that its forces were conducting an operation “against Hamas inside Al-Shifa Hospital,” according to Reuters.
The Israeli military stated in a release, “Based on intelligence and the necessity of the operations, the IDF is conducting a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specific area within Al-Shifa Hospital.”
It added, “IDF forces include medical teams and Arabic-speaking spokespersons who have undergone specific training to prepare for this complex and sensitive environment, aiming to avoid harming civilians.”
On Tuesday, the Gaza health authorities stated that they “do not reject” the operation to transfer premature babies from Al-Shifa Hospital “provided there is a clear mechanism for it,” following an Israeli statement about “coordinating” the transfer of incubators to the Gaza Strip in preparation for moving these infants.
The Israeli military claimed that during the surprise and unprecedented attack launched by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, igniting the current conflict, the militants kidnapped around 240 individuals, taking them to the Gaza Strip and holding them hostage.
Since the attack by Hamas, which the Israeli authorities say left 1,200 dead, most of them civilians, including women and children, Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, according to health authorities there, have killed more than 11,000 people, the majority of whom were civilians, including women and children.
