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WHO reports evacuation of 28 babies from Gaza to Egypt

16 children were admitted to hospital in the city of El-Arish

GENEVA, November 21. /TASS/. Twelve premature babies evacuated on November 19 from the besieged Al-Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip have been airlifted to Cairo while 16 babies have been admitted to a hospital in the city of El-Arish in the Sinai Peninsula, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

"Today, 28 of the 31 premature babies, who were evacuated from the Al-Shifa hospital yesterday, were safely transferred in Al-Arish to receive medical treatment in #Egypt. From there, 12 babies were flown to Cairo," he wrote on the X social media platform (formerly Twitter).

Following a WHO assessment mission to Al-Shifa hospital, Ghebreyesus said that the medical complex could no longer function and all patients were in urgent need of evacuation.

The Al-Shifa administration said on November 12 that the hospital was surrounded by Israeli troops and it was impossible to evacuate it. According to the Palestinian authorities, Israeli drones were shelling the hospital’s premises. At least 170 people have died in the hospital over this time, the Gaza health ministry said.