Thirty-one premature babies have been moved from Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital—which has been declared a “death zone”—to hospitals in the south of the strip for eventual transfer to Egypt.
The infants, some of whom weigh as little as 2 pounds, have endured hellish conditions, with their incubators losing power amid fuel blockades. They had to be put side by side on open beds, and at least three newborns died before they could be moved, according to Reuters.
Al-Shifa is Gaza’s largest hospital, and patients were stranded there after Israel’s assault on the strip following Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre in Israel. The hospital has reportedly run out of food and water and is surrounded by firefights.
Last week, Israeli soldiers raided Al-Shifa in a hunt for the Hamas headquarters it claims is hidden on the grounds—which hospital officials have denied exists.
“The operation is shaped by our understanding that there is well-hidden terrorist infrastructure in the complex,” the IDF said in a statement as the soldiers conducted floor-by-floor searches.
