Palestinian health minister wants premature babies to be moved from Al-Shifa Hospital to West Bank

Palestinian Health Minister Mai Al-Kaila sought international help on Saturday to put pressure on Israel to allow the transfer of premature babies from the Al-Shifa Medical Complex to hospitals in the West Bank or Egypt for the best possible care.

During a press conference at the ministry's headquarters in Ramallah, the minister said, "The Israeli authorities are wreaking havoc in the Al-Shifa Complex."

“Al-Shifa Hospital has become a military barracks, and those inside are evacuated at gunpoint,” the minister said.

She noted that "126 patients, 34 premature babies along with some medical staff remained in the hospital.”

The minister called on “international institutions to intervene to transfer premature babies and wounded children from Al-Shifa Hospital to hospitals in the West Bank or Egypt."

“There is no hospital in the Gaza Strip that has the capacity to accommodate these premature babies,” Al-Kaila said.

She also noted that the Israeli authorities "transferred the bodies of a number of Palestinians from Al-Shifa Hospital to an unknown location."

“Only nine hospitals are operating partially in the Gaza Strip,” the minister explained.

Earlier Saturday, the director of the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza said they began “evacuations from the hospital, following a one-hour deadline given by the Israeli army.”

Since Israel started bombarding Gaza on Oct. 7, more than 12,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 8,300 women and children, and more than 30,000 others have been injured, according to the latest figures.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.

An Israeli blockade has also cut Gaza off from fuel, electricity, and water supplies, and reduced aid deliveries to a trickle.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.