Urgent Call for Evacuation: Babies in Peril in Gaza Hospitals
UNICEF urges evacuation of 25 premature or ill babies from Gaza City's hospitals amid escalating Israeli ground offensive. Many babies face risk due to shelling, insufficient incubators, and hazardous conditions during transfer. Israeli response is pending, while Gaza's health system struggles amid ongoing conflict and shortages.
The U.N. children's charity has issued an urgent call for the evacuation of at least 25 ill or premature infants in incubators in Gaza City, as Israel intensifies its ground offensive. Half of these vulnerable newborns are housed in a hospital that was targeted with shelling overnight.
Health officials in Gaza report that tanks are encircling the area near Al Helo Hospital, where at least 12 babies are in incubators, with the site having suffered from recent shelling. Video footage shows hospital facilities in disarray. "Gaza City has turned into a combat zone once more. The evacuation of the babies appears to be our sole option now," UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires conveyed to Reuters.
Israeli authorities have not yet provided a response. UNICEF fears the evacuation could expose the infants to infections and fluctuating temperatures. Yet, finding facilities to accommodate them remains uncertain due to damage and overcrowding in available hospitals.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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