UNICEF calls for urgent evacuation of premature babies from Gaza hospital

The United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF) on Monday called for the immediate evacuation of at least 25 sick or premature babies from Gaza City, warning they face life-threatening conditions as Israel intensifies its ground offensive.

According to Palestinian health officials, Israeli tanks have surrounded the area near Al Helo Hospital, where at least 12 of the babies remain in incubators. Medics said the site was shelled overnight. Video obtained by Reuters showed debris scattered across hospital rooms.

“It is time to move them because Gaza City again has become a combat zone, but moving them where? There is no safe place for them to go,” UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires told Reuters.

Pires said the evacuation would involve transferring newborns using makeshift carts, blankets, portable oxygen, and drips. However, he cautioned that the process could expose them to infection, fluctuating temperatures, and supply shortages.

Hospitals across Gaza remain damaged, overcrowded, and undersupplied, raising uncertainty about where the infants could be treated. Pires recalled seeing four babies sharing a single incubator last month due to shortages, adding that Israel had rejected requests to bring in more. Israeli authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment.