Dozens of premature babies born into Gaza warzone arrive in Egypt for treatment – after Israel helped the perilously ill infants cross the border at Rafa
Nearly 30 premature babies born in the Gaza war zone have been safely evacuated to Egypt after Israel helped the babies cross the border at Rafa.
Images shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, show the babies being transferred from Al-Shifa hospital in their incubators to emergency vehicles for the hour-long journey south from Gaza City.
Under the watchful eyes of the UN and the Israeli army, a fleet of ambulances can be seen carrying out the crucial operation across the border at Rafa to hospitals in Egypt.
Some were also transported by air from Al Arish Airport.
In a status shared online, the report of the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories wrote: “In the past few hours, we have facilitated the transfer of premature babies from Gaza from Shifaa Hospital for further medical treatment in Egypt.
“This is being done as part of Israel’s humanitarian efforts, simultaneously with the fight against Hamas in Gaza.”
A premature Palestinian baby evacuated from Gaza is pictured in an ambulance on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border
Health officials receive 28 of 31 premature babies transferred from Shifa Hospital in southern Gaza to be treated after Israeli attacks
You can see the babies being transferred from Al-Shifa Hospital into emergency vehicles
28 of the 31 premature babies are transferred to hospitals for treatment after arriving in Egypt
Some of the babies arrived by ambulance
Officials in Egypt said only 29 babies had arrived so far and it was not immediately clear why the number varied.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that “five babies had died in hospital due to a power outage” and that their bodies had also been removed.
One mother, Lubna El-Seik, said Egypt was the “best place on earth” and praised the coordinated evacuation as “very good.”
“It never occurred to us that the hospital would be targeted and that those children would have to go through what they went through,” she said.
“We were here within a few hours and were well received.”
Families and staff were also evacuated from the hospital.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs (UNCHA) said 259 patients remained at Al Shifa, which Israel says is a hideout for a Hamas operations center.
In a statement, Israel said: “Over the past day, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) … helped facilitate the safe evacuation of newborn Gaza babies from the children’s ward of Shifa Hospital to receive essential medical treatment in Egypt.
Under the watchful eyes of the UN and the Israeli army, a fleet of ambulances can be seen carrying out the crucial operation across the border at Rafa to hospitals in Egypt.
Doctors prepare premature babies for transport to Egypt after they were evacuated from Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to a hospital in Rafah
Doctors were seen transporting the babies to their incubators
According to officials in Egypt, only 29 babies have arrived so far
Medics treated the babies after they were successfully evacuated from Gaza
“The coordination of this crucial mission was at the request of Egypt and the director of Shifa Hospital.
“The evacuation was carried out by UN teams with the assistance of IDF teams on the ground.”
It added that in the rescue operation, “Israeli incubators were delivered to Shifa Hospital for the babies.”
“The IDF remains steadfast in its determination to assist the humanitarian efforts in Gaza and its commitment to upholding human dignity and providing assistance in times of crisis,” the report said.
It comes as US President Joe Biden said he believes an agreement to release hostages held by Hamas in Gaza is close. Hamas captured more than 200 hostages during the devastating October 7 attack on Israel.
U.S. and Qatari officials are calling for a five-day pause in the fighting so that at least 50 women and children can be released. More releases would follow.
Hamas terrorists killed at least 1,200 people in their attack, the bloodiest day in Israel’s 75-year history.
Since then, Israel has continued an intense bombardment of Gaza. The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry says at least 13,000 Palestinians have been killed, including at least 5,500 children.
According to Israel, Israeli incubators were delivered to Shifa Hospital for the babies
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that “five babies had died in hospital due to power outages” and that their bodies had also been taken
According to officials in Egypt, only 29 babies have arrived so far
Egypt’s Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar stands next to North Sinai Governor Major General Mohamed Abdel-Fadel Shousha as they look at a premature Palestinian baby evacuated from Gaza
A premature Palestinian baby evacuated from Gaza is fed
Medics treat premature Palestinian babies evacuated from Gaza in the new administrative capital
The hostages’ families were expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday evening to discuss the latest developments. He has been criticized for being slow to secure their release.
Before the meeting, a spokesperson for the families said: ‘It’s over six weeks and two days that our loved ones are in Gaza. We don’t know how they fill up. If they’re healthy, if they’re alive, we have no information, zero information.
‘It’s raining, it’s cold now and we don’t know what the situation is with the hostages. We have come today to talk to the War Cabinet and get answers to our questions.
“We have questions that we deserve to have answers to, all hostages should be returned to our home. We expect the war cabinet to answer our questions and ensure that everyone returns alive.’
They have also begged the Israeli government not to go ahead with plans to introduce a death penalty for terrorists, fearing it could thwart a possible deal for the safe return of their loved ones.