WHO says negotiations continue for evacuation of babies from Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza

By Busranur Koca

ANKARA (AA) – The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with Egyptian officials to facilitate the evacuation of 36 premature babies in the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, which is currently under an Israeli military operation, an official said on Thursday.

Richard Brennan, the UN health agency's regional emergency director for Eastern Mediterranean Region, told ABC News that the evacuation is made difficult by a lack of fuel and the security situation.

The WHO has not been able to communicate with hospitals in northern Gaza for days, he added. "It's a completely desperate situation."

Some 600 patients, including 36 newborns and 27 intensive care patients, 280 staff and 2,500 displaced people remain at the hospital, according to the WHO.

Alongside Egyptian officials, the organization is negotiating with Israel through the UN to ensure that there are "security guarantees and safe passage" for evacuations, he added.

Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, accompanied by a ground operation, has killed over 11,400 Palestinians, more than half of them being women and children.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have also either been damaged or fully destroyed.

The official Israeli death toll, meanwhile, stands at 1,200.

The enclave is again under a communications blackout due to a lack of fuel for generators, according to Paltel, the company which provides telecommunications services in the Gaza Strip.​​​​​​​

*Writing by Gozde Bayar