Over 30 Babies Are At Risk Of Dying At Al-Shifa, Surgeon

Dr. Marwan Abusada, a surgeon at al-Shifa Hospital, told NBC News on Sunday that a critical lack of resources means that three babies have died and a further 36 are at immediate risk.

The Gaza Health Ministry, which is affiliated with Hamas, said earlier in the day that three babies had died at the medical facility.

It comes amid growing fears that the hospital could soon lose all power, leading critical health machinery, such as ventilators and incubators, to fail. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, on Sunday said that the medical facility had been lacking electricity and water for three days, “which has severely impacted our ability to provide essential care.”

The Israeli Defense Forces over the weekend denied that Al-Shifa was under siege and said they would help evacuate babies from the hospital. The military force also said it had opened safe routes from a number of health facilities in Gaza.

Abusada said he was not aware that anyone had left the hospital via the IDF evacuation route. A plastic surgeon at the hospital, Dr. Ahmed el-Mokhallalati, also told NBC that he was not aware of anyone departing.