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Al-Shifa Hospital’s Newborns: Orphans Left Without a Path to Parents

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Al-Shifa Hospital’s Newborns: Orphans Left Without a Path to Parents

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After weeks of enduring tragic conditions at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, Egyptian hospitals welcomed 28 Gazan newborns on Monday.
This journey involved meticulous preparations to ensure the newborns’ safe passage from the northern to the southern part of Gaza, preceding their transfer for medical care arrangements.
Egyptian Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar announced the arrival of the children, initially at Al-Arish General Hospital in North Sinai, where 16 newborns were received.
Additionally, 12 other newborns were transported to the airport in Arish in preparation for their treatment in Cairo.
Parents and doctors speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat shed light on conditions they are enduring after approximately seven weeks of confinement in the besieged Al-Shifa Hospital.
The evacuation of newborns from Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest in Gaza, occurred after it became a target for Israeli military operations in recent days, ultimately leading to its evacuation.
According to a statement from the Red Crescent, the evacuation was coordinated with the World Health Organization and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Dr. Mahmoud Salama, head of the Neonatology Department at the Emirati hospital in Rafah, informed Asharq Al-Awsat that 31 children arrived last Sunday after being evacuated from Al-Shifa Hospital, receiving 24 hours of care before being transferred for treatment in Egypt.
However, he clarified that “some cases from Al-Shifa Hospital were not transferred to Egypt due to improvements in their conditions.”
Regarding the children’s medical condition, Salama said: “Their status varies from stable to severe.”
Salama noted that some cases were “very challenging” and were addressed directly.
Most of them suffered from severe temperature drops, malnutrition, low sugar levels, and decreased blood levels.
Medical sources in Egypt’s Arish revealed that “only five mothers and five nursing staff members accompanied the newborns.”

 

 

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As Syrian Opposition Sweep into Aleppo, Army Closes Airport and Roads

A destroyed Syrian army tank in the village of Anjara on the outskirts of Aleppo, Nov. 29. (AP)
A destroyed Syrian army tank in the village of Anjara on the outskirts of Aleppo, Nov. 29. (AP)
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As Syrian Opposition Sweep into Aleppo, Army Closes Airport and Roads

A destroyed Syrian army tank in the village of Anjara on the outskirts of Aleppo, Nov. 29. (AP)
A destroyed Syrian army tank in the village of Anjara on the outskirts of Aleppo, Nov. 29. (AP)

Syrian authorities closed Aleppo airport as well as all roads leading into the city on Saturday, three military sources told Reuters, as the groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad said they had reached the heart of Aleppo.
The opposition fighters, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, carried out a surprise sweep through government-held towns this week and reached Aleppo nearly a decade after having been forced out by Assad and his allies.
Russia, one of Assad's key allies, has promised Damascus extra military aid to thwart the opposition, two military sources said, adding new hardware would start arriving in the next 72 hours.
The Syrian army has been told to follow "safe withdrawal" orders from the main areas of the city that the opposition have entered, three army sources said.
The fighters began their incursion on Wednesday and by late Friday an operations room representing the offensive said they were sweeping through various neighbourhoods of Aleppo.
They are returning to the city for the first time since 2016, when Assad and his allies Russia, Iran, and regional Shi'ite militias retook it, with the insurgents agreeing to withdraw after months of bombardment and siege.
Mustafa Abdul Jaber, a commander in the Jaish al-Izza opposition brigade, said their speedy advance this week had been helped by a lack of Iran-backed manpower in the broader Aleppo province. Iran's allies in the region have suffered a series of blows at the hands of Israel as the Gaza war has expanded through the Middle East.
The opposition fighters have said the campaign was in response to stepped-up strikes in recent weeks against civilians by the Russian and Syrian air force on areas in opposition-held Idlib, and to preempt any attacks by the Syrian army.
Opposition sources in touch with Turkish intelligence said Turkiye, which supports the opposition, had given a green light to the offensive.
But Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said on Friday that Turkiye sought to avoid greater instability in the region and had warned recent attacks undermined de-escalation agreements.
The attack is the biggest since March 2020, when Russia and Turkiye agreed to a deal to de-escalate the conflict.
CIVILIANS KILLED IN FIGHTING
On Friday, Syrian state television denied opposition had reached the city and said Russia was providing Syria's military with air support.
The Syrian military said it was fighting back against the attack and had inflicted heavy losses on the insurgents in the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib.
David Carden, UN Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, said: "We're deeply alarmed by the situation unfolding in northwest Syria."
"Relentless attacks over the past three days have claimed the lives of at least 27 civilians, including children as young as 8 years old."
Syrian state news agency SANA said four civilians including two students were killed on Friday in Aleppo by insurgent shelling of university student dormitories. It was not clear if they were among the 27 dead reported by the UN official.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Moscow regarded the attack as a violation of Syria's sovereignty.
"We are in favor of the Syrian authorities bringing order to the area and restoring constitutional order as soon as possible," he said.