In the face of a dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the largest hospital complex, Al-Shifa, crumbled under the weight of power outages, dwindling oxygen, and water shortages . This catastrophe left 39 premature babies teetering on the brink as their access to vital care from incubators was abruptly severed.
A poignant image circulated globally, depicting these fragile newborns swathed in green blankets, lying side by side on a hospital stretcher. Some weighed less than three pounds, their ribs protruding, with diapers too large for their tiny torsos. Medical personnel resorted to skin-to-skin contact to maintain their warmth, according to credible news reports.
Within a week, the lives of eight infants succumbed to the harsh conditions. However, a ray of hope emerged on Sunday, November 19, when a joint rescue mission conducted by Palestine Red Crescent and the United Nations successfully evacuated 31 critically ill babies from Al-Shifa to a hospital near the Rafah border in the southern Gaza Strip.
Describing the mission as extremely challenging, Nibal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the Palestine Red Crescent, emphasized the urgency of evacuating premature babies who had languished in incubators without power for days, with contaminated water affecting their formula and, consequently, their health.
The rescued infants, wrapped in aluminum foil to maintain their body temperatures, navigated through the perilous journey in six ambulances, accompanied by six medical staff and ten family members. This perilous trek unfolded amidst heavy bombardment and an Israeli military siege, traversing destroyed neighborhoods and roads before the infants reached the care of doctors in Rafah.
28 of the premature babies found themselves in Egypt for further medical treatment after a brief stopover in southern Gaza. Subsequently, 12 of them were airlifted to Cairo for specialized care, as confirmed by a spokesperson from the World Health Organization (WHO) during a press conference.
The broader context reveals the disproportionate impact of the Israel-Hamas War on women, children, and newborns in Gaza. With Palestinian authorities reporting a death toll of 13,000, including over 5,500 children and 3,500 women since October 7, U.N. agencies underscored the vulnerability of these populations amidst the heightened hostilities.
Before the Al-Shifa rescue operation, the Palestinian Health Ministry had warned that at least 130 premature babies, alongside numerous newborns, faced the imminent risk of death due to power failures and depleted resources. WHO further highlighted the alarming situation, noting that 21 out of 24 hospitals in Wadi Gaza were now “entirely dysfunctional,” unable to admit new patients amid intensified fighting.
Toby Fricker, a UNICEF regional representative in Amman, Jordan, expressed the catastrophic circumstances facing premature babies across Gaza. The region’s 1.6 million displaced people, including nearly 800,000 children, confront the looming threat of waterborne diseases due to the lack of clean water and an absence of vaccination programs.
As cases of diarrhea surged in recent weeks, the risk of deadly outbreaks looms large for infants in the event of diseases. Fricker emphasized the urgent need for child healthcare services to avert further catastrophes.
With the transported babies now in stable condition, authorities have successfully identified them. The WHO confirmed that the three infants remaining in the Emirati hospital in Gaza have been reunited with their mothers and are receiving critical care. However, the evacuated babies in Egypt remain separated from their families, a consequence of Israeli forces raiding the hospital, forcing some parents to leave, as per Farsakh from PRCS.
The priority lies in securing more fuel and medical supplies for Gaza, improving access to clean water and sanitation, and preparing for the challenges that lie ahead, especially with winter approaching, according to Fricker.
