As they waited to be evacuated to Egypt via the crossing at Rafah on Monday, the premature babies were cared for at a hospital in the border city.
So tiny, four of the premature infants fit into a crib with room to spare. Their identification cuffs hung loose around their ankles, emphasizing their little limbs. Too fragile to be exposed to their families at large, the babies were bottle-fed by medics and nurses.
At last, the opportunity for them to leave arrived and Palestine Red Crescent Society volunteers transported the babies through the hospital — four tiny children lined up on a stretcher.
The World Health Organization, WHO, organized the evacuation of 31 babies from Shifa on Sunday. Three were transferred to the Emirates Hospital in Rafah, and are in good health, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.
Israel’s army stormed Al-Shifa days ago, saying it had evidence that the Palestinian militant group, Hamas built a command post underneath the hospital, an allegation that hospital staff and Hamas have denied.
The hospital ran out of supplies and fuel to run its last generator more than a week ago. The Gaza Health Ministry says more than 250 critically ill or wounded patients remain stranded at the compound.
Israel's army is widening its operations across northern Gaza, where they battled Palestinian militants on Tuesday in the densely populated Jabaliya refugee camp, the territory's largest.
Israel says Hamas uses civilians and hospitals as shields, while critics say Israel’s siege and relentless aerial bombardment amount to collective punishment of the territory’s 2.3 million Palestinians after Hamas' October 7 attack on southern Israel.
More than 12,700 Palestinians — two-thirds of them women and minors — have been killed since the war began, according to Palestinian health authorities, who do not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths. About 4,000 people are reported missing.
Some 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mostly during the October 7 attack, and around 240 were taken captive by militants.
On Tuesday, senior Hamas officials said that an agreement could be reached soon in which the Palestinian militant group would release hostages and Israel would free Palestinian prisoners.
U.S. President Joe Biden also signaled that a deal to free hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and a temporary truce is "now very close."
Meanwhile, Israeli officials announced that meetings of key decision-making bodies would be held late Tuesday to discuss "the issue of the release of hostages."
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