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28 Gaza babies evacuated to Egypt

12 killed as strike hits hospital; US, Israeli officials say hostage deal edges closer
AGENCIES
Twenty-eight premature babies were evacuated from war-torn Gaza to Egypt yesterday as the enclave’s health ministry accused Israel of launching a deadly strike on the territory’s Indonesian Hospital.
Frantic diplomatic efforts were meanwhile underway to seal a deal for the release of some of the 240 hostages Hamas fighters took during their October 7 attacks on Israel.
The Gaza health ministry charged that Israel’s army killed at least 12 people in a strike on the Indonesian Hospital in the Palestinian territory’s north, a war zone where entire city blocks have been reduced to rubble.
Those killed included patients, said Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesman for the ministry which has reported a death toll of more than 13,000 as the Gaza war rages on into its seventh week.
Dozens more were wounded and 700 people remained trapped inside the “besieged” medical centre, Qudra said.
More than 2.4 million Palestinians are trapped in Gaza and only several hundred war-wounded, foreign nationals and dual passport holders have been allowed out.
The UN World Health Organization yesterday said 28 premature babies evacuated from Gaza’s biggest hospital, Al-Shifa, had been taken to safety in Egypt through the Rafah crossing, revising down by one a number given by Egyptian media.
“All babies are fighting serious infections and continue needing health care,” the WHO said, while the Israeli army said it had “helped facilitate” the transfer.
The bloodiest ever Gaza war has seen Israeli troops raid, occupy and evacuate Al-Shifa hospital.
Israel, backed by the United States, argues that Hamas has used vast tunnel networks below Al-Shifa for military purposes. It has shown recovered weapons but was yet to reveal evidence of a major military headquarters below ground.
Alarm has surged over the dire humanitarian situation across Gaza where cold autumn rain has deepened the misery by soaking families living in tents and turning dust to mud.
The WHO warned of spreading sickness with 44,000 cases of diarrhoea and 70,000 acute respiratory infections registered in shelters.
A field hospital sent by Jordan entered Gaza yesterday to treat patients in the south despite “catastrophic conditions” marked by “aggressive aerial and artillery strikes,” said Mohammed Zaqout, director-general of Gaza hospitals.
As intense urban combat raged in northern Gaza, many thousands more fled south on Sunday, said the UN humanitarian agency.
Families walked along cracked roads as gunshots and explosions rang out in the distance.
“It’s like the apocalypse,” said one tearful woman, Renad al-Helou.
“We are tired. There’s no water, no food ... There’s nothing left in Gaza. There’s only destruction, suffering and torture.”