Premature babies at Gaza largest hospital are being wrapped in foil and placed next to hot water in a desperate bid to keep them alive in “catastrophic” conditions, the hospital director has warned, as Israeli firepower pounds surrounding streets and remaining fuel reserves dry up, leaving the facility unable to function.
The personnel at Al-Shifa hospital struggled to maintain the well-being of newborns, ensuring their warmth and survival, as oxygen supplies were depleted. They faced the challenging task of manually relocating infants from the neonatal unit’s incubators to another section of the hospital. Simultaneously, a correspondent from the Al Arabiya network, present within the hospital, reported to CNN that individuals were trapped, paralyzed by fear and unable to escape amidst intense fighting.
Dr. Muhammad Abu Salmiya, the medical center’s director, conveyed the dire circumstances to CNN on Monday, stating, “There is an acute shortage of water, food, and milk for children and babies… The situation in the hospital is nothing short of catastrophic.”
Photographs depict multiple newborns, originally housed in individual incubators at the hospital, now placed together in a single bed. Premature babies at Gaza
Over the past few days, Al-Shifa has reported 15 casualties, including six newborns, attributed to power outages and a scarcity of medical supplies. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah, relying on data from the Hamas-controlled territory, disclosed these figures.
These distressing events unfold against the backdrop of Israel’s sustained bombing and blockade of Gaza, an already impoverished and densely populated region. The escalation follows the October 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israeli territory.
Dr. Medhat Abbas, the director general of Gaza’s health ministry, informed CNN that medical staff at Al-Shifa performed emergency C-sections to save four infants after their mothers succumbed. He emphasized the challenging circumstances these newborns face without their mothers and the crucial need for electricity. In a voice note, he expressed the gravity of the situation, stating, “Now they have to make it without their mothers and without electricity… Can you imagine that?”
Explaining the specific requirements for prematurely born infants, Abbas highlighted the necessity for proper heating in incubators to replicate the temperature of their mothers. He cautioned that the situation is expected to worsen with the onset of winter.
In contrast, an Israeli military spokesperson, responding to CNN on Saturday, acknowledged “ongoing intense fighting” with Hamas near the hospital complex but denied targeting the northern Gaza medical center. The spokesperson rejected suggestions of a siege on the hospital.