Gaza Neonatal ICU Evacuated Amidst Renewed Fighting “`

Posted on by

Premature babies evacuated from Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabalia due to Israeli attacks and the blockade are receiving care at the Patient Friends Association Hospital, which opened a dedicated section for them in Gaza City, Gaza on Oct. 14, 2024.

Following Israel’s latest evacuation order, neonatal care in northern Gaza is facing a critical collapse, according to medical professionals and humanitarian organizations. This order impacts an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 residents in Al-Remal and Sabra, including the Patient’s Friends Benevolent Society Hospital (PFBS), which houses the region’s sole neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for premature infants.

The IDF Spokesperson issued the evacuation order via their X account Thursday evening. The order, initially in Arabic, warned of imminent attack due to rocket fire from the area, urging immediate evacuation to shelters in Gaza City.

Mahmoud Shalabi, Deputy Director of Programmes at Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), described the evacuation order’s impact in Gaza City, noting the widespread panic it caused via social media. Shalabi and his family have been internally displaced for over 70 days.

MAP has supported PFBS with staffing and resources since August 2024. PFBS’s NICU, operational since October, utilizes incubators salvaged from other hospitals, including Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia. That hospital, according to the WHO chief, remains under siege, with CNN reporting the deaths of four doctors among dozens killed near the compound on Friday. Shalabi stated some incubators and babies were transferred from Kamal Adwan to PFBS.

Al-Sahaba hospital, Gaza City’s only other NICU, operates at limited capacity, providing only basic level one care. PFBS also offers gynecology, delivery, and general surgery, many patients being too ill to move. Since providing life-saving treatment for premature infants this fall, patient visits surged from 7,320 in July to 42,999 by October.

All Gaza healthcare workers, including the five doctors and ten nurses at the NICU, face personal risk. Since the conflict began, nearly 500 healthcare workers have been injured in Gaza. On Thursday, Dr. Saeed Jouda, northern Gaza’s last orthopedic surgeon, was killed by an Israeli drone near Kamal Adwan.

Shalabi highlighted the limited options for relocating services, stating that much of the available space has been destroyed.

During the interview, the sound of heavily armed drones was audible, a constant presence intensified by the ongoing war.