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.”
