In a desperate bid to save the lives of dozens of critically ill premature babies, al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza was forced to evacuate its most vulnerable patients to hospitals in the south of the Gaza Strip. The harrowing evacuation came after the hospital was left without fuel and medical supplies following a raid by Israeli forces earlier this week.

Out of the 39 babies who were left without incubators, 31 have successfully been transported to safety. Alongside them, three doctors and two nurses were also evacuated from al-Shifa Hospital. Mohammed Zaqout, the director-general of hospitals in Gaza, confirmed that all the premature babies from the hospital have been transferred to hospitals in the southern region. Plans are now in motion to facilitate their entry into Egypt, according to Zaqout.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) coordinated the effort to transport the babies, utilizing six of their ambulances. Working in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the PRCS successfully ensured the safe transportation of the infants. The babies were on their way to hospitals in southern Gaza, as reported by Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum from the Nasser Hospital.

The situation leading up to the evacuation was dire, as Israeli forces had ordered doctors, patients, and displaced individuals to leave al-Shifa Hospital, reportedly even resorting to gunpoint coercion. Despite the evacuation, the WHO team that visited the hospital on Saturday discovered that hundreds of patients, including critically ill individuals, remained in the facility. Al-Shifa was described as a "death zone" by the agency, with patients and staff pleading for immediate evacuation.

Tragically, four babies lost their lives during the raid, highlighting the urgency and severity of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Palestine Red Crescent Society announced that the transferred babies would be prepared for their subsequent transfer to the Emirates Hospital in Rafah.

In a news conference following the evacuation, Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesperson for the Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, declared that the babies had been relocated to Tal al-Sultan Hospital in Rafah. He further stated that they would be sent to Egyptian hospitals, accompanied by their families, tomorrow.

As the medical crisis worsens in Gaza, the urgent need for international assistance becomes even more paramount. The fate of countless lives, including innocent infants, hangs in the balance, calling upon the global community to act swiftly and decisively to alleviate the suffering and address the dire shortage of vital medical resources.