Thirty-one premature Palestinian infants were evacuated from the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, which has been designated a "death zone" by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The infants were transported to an Emirati medical facility situated in Rafah, a southern city in close proximity to the Egyptian frontier.
On Saturday, hundreds of individuals, including patients, departed from al-Shifa. The oldest and most advanced hospital in the territory is currently under the military jurisdiction of Israeli forces.
An investigation into whether the complex functioned as a Hamas headquarters has been underway.
Hundreds of individuals, including some patients, evacuated the hospital on Saturday. However, approximately 300 critically ill patients and 33 premature infants persisted.
A spokesperson for the Red Crescent subsequently informed the sources that two babies passed away on Saturday morning and Friday evening.
Sunday saw the evacuation of the 31 surviving infants by the Red Crescent in collaboration with the United Nations.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organisation, stated that the infants were "extremely ill," had been transferred under "extremely rigorous and high-risk security conditions.” he mentioned that they are receiving urgent care in the neonatal intensive care unit in Rafah at the moment.
The general superintendent of hospitals in the Gaza Strip, Dr. Mohammad Zaqout, told sources that some of the infants were dehydrated or had developed gastritis as a result of drinking contaminated water.
Others had developed infections due to a lack of medications, and some had hypothermia because they could not be placed in incubators. Dr. Tedros stated that the infants were accompanied by six medical personnel and ten family members of staff.
Physicians at al-Shifa had previously reported that infants had died when the fuel supply to incubators was shut off.
Although Israel has not yet issued a statement, it previously pledged to assist in the evacuation of infants to a "safer hospital." He stated that the WHO intended to dispatch additional missions to evacuate the remaining staff and patients from al-Shifa as soon as passage guarantees were secured.
Dr. Muhammad Abu Salima, the superintendent of the hospital in Al-Shifa, has urged the WHO and the United Nations to assist medical teams and patients in "departing this desolate location."
He mentioned to sources that there were approximately 25 medical staff members remaining at the hospital, but they were unable to provide adequate treatment for the hundreds of patients who remained due to a lack of electricity and water.
He stated, "Corpses are dispersed throughout the emergency department; patients are wailing; the medical staff is rendered virtually powerless; and the army is unimpeded within the hospital.”
Hamas has denied Israel's allegation that it operates a command centre beneath al-Shifa; however, Israel has yet to present substantial evidence to support this claim.
A military spokesman for Israel, Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, estimated earlier this week that a comprehensive examination of the medical complex could take weeks.
On October 7, Hamas, an entity deemed a terrorist organisation by numerous Western nations, launched an assault on Israel, resulting in the loss of 1,200 lives and the abduction of over 240 individuals as hostages. Israel has initiated a massive retaliatory operation in an effort to eliminate Hamas. It includes ground personnel and air and artillery strikes.
