GAZA: The tiny babies lie side by side, some wrapped in green fabric roughly taped around them for warmth, others wearing only nappies, a picture of vulnerability, their lives in grave danger with every minute that passes.
The newborns are under the care of exhausted medics at Gaza's Al Shifa hospital, which is besieged by Israeli tanks battling Hamas fighters, and lacks electricity, water, food, medicines and equipment.
"Yesterday I had 39 babies and today they have become 36," said Dr. Mohamed Tabasha, head of the paediatric department at Al Shifa, in a telephone interview on Monday.
"I cannot say how long they can last. I can lose another two babies today, or in an hour," he said.
The premature babies, who weigh less than 1.5 kg (3.3 pounds) each and in some cases only 700 or 800 grams, should be in incubators where the temperature and humidity can be regulated according to their individual needs.
Instead, they had to be moved to ordinary beds over the weekend because of a shortage of electricity, said Tabasha. They were placed side by side, surrounded by packets of nappies, cardboard boxes of sterile gauze and plastic bags.
"I never expected in my life that I would put 39 babies side by side on a bed, each with a different disease, and in this acute shortage of medical staff, of milk," said Tabasha.
The infants are too cold, and the temperature is not stable because of power cuts, he said. In the absence of infection control measures, they are transmitting viruses to each other and they have no immunity.
He said there was no longer any way of sterilising their milk and bottle teats to the required standard. As a result, some had contracted gastritis and were suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting, which meant an acute risk of dehydration.
'YOU SLOWLY KILL THEM'
Dr. Ahmed El Mokhallalati, also involved in caring for the babies, described the conditions as deadly.
"They are in a very bad situation where you slowly kill them unless someone interferes to adjust or to improve their situation," he said, also by telephone from Al Shifa.
"These are very critical kinds of cases, where you have to be very sensitive in dealing with them. You have to take care of each of them in a very special way. Currently they are all in open space, they are all with each other," he said.
Tabasha listed everything he would need to keep the babies safe: electricity to run the incubators, a proper steriliser for the milk and bottle teats, medicines, and support machines in case any of them went into respiratory failure.
He said the situation was harrowing for the doctors and the four nurses in charge of the babies.
"We are exhausted emotionally and physically," he said.
Israel launched its military assault to destroy Hamas, the Palestinian group which runs the Gaza Strip, after Hamas fighters rampaged through southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing civilians. Around 1,200 people died and 240 were taken hostage, according to Israel's tally, the deadliest day in its 75-year history.
Since then, thousands of Gazans have been killed and more than half the population made homeless by Israel's relentless onslaught. Gaza medical authorities say more than 11,000 people have been confirmed killed, around 40% of them children.
Israel says Al Shifa hospital sits atop tunnels housing a headquarters for Hamas fighters, who are to blame for its plight for using patients as human shields, which Hamas denies.
Reuters
Tue Nov 14 2023
Newborns are placed in bed after being taken off incubators in Gaza's Al Shifa hospital after power outage, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza City, Gaza. - REUTERS/Filepic
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: Pengundi jangan mudah percaya taktik fitnah - Ramanan
Ramanan berkata pengundi perlu lebih berhati-hati, dan sentiasa menyemak fakta apabila mendengar kempen politik yang dilakukan pihak lawan.
KEDA berhasrat tanam padi wangi, padi huma tahun ini
Lembaga Kemajuan Wilayah Kedah (KEDA) berhasrat membangunkan tanaman padi wangi dan padi huma di beberapa kawasan pertanian dalam wilayahnya, tahun ini.
Mesyuarat perundingan Enam Pihak Arab bincangkan perkembangan di Gaza
Mesyuarat perundingan Jawatankuasa Enam Pihak Arab itu membincangkan perkembangan serangan Israel ke atas Semenanjung Gaza.
Chegubard didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen KL esok - Peguam
Badrul Hisham Shaharin atau dikenali Chegubard akan didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen Kuala Lumpur esok atas pertuduhan memfitnah dan menghasut.
Pulau Pinang, kerajaan pusat bekerjasama tarik pelaburan semikonduktor
Kerajaan Pulau Pinang akan bekerjasama dengan Kerajaan Persekutuan untuk meneruskan usaha menarik pelaburan dalam sektor semikonduktor, termasuk segmen reka bentuk litar bersepadu (IC) di negeri itu.
Rakyat Malaysia di Jordan jadi duta produk PMKS negara
Menteri Pembangunan Usahawan dan Koperasi Datuk Ewon Benedick menyarankan rakyat Malaysia yang menetap di Jordan supaya memainkan peranan sebagai “duta” untuk mempromosikan produk perusahaan mikro kecil dan sederhana (PMKS) SERTA koperasi negara.
Mohamed Khaled tiba di Indonesia, dijadual bertemu Prabowo
Menteri Pertahanan Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin tiba di Jakarta hari ini untuk lawatan kerja rasmi sulung beliau ke Indonesia sejak memegang jawatan itu.
SPRM mohon maklumat dari Jerman
Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) memohon maklumat terkini daripada pihak berkuasa Jerman mengenai dana bon 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) yang dipercayai digunakan untuk membeli kereta mewah di negara itu pada 26 Okt 2022.
SPRM siasat pemimpin kanan di utara tanah air
Seorang pemimpin kanan di utara tanah air disiasat Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) kerana disyaki melantik beberapa syarikat yang mempunyai kepentingan dengannya membabitkan beberapa projek pembekalan melibatkan peruntukan kira-kira RM300,000.
Kembangkan kandungan tempatan melalui AI
Menurut Setiausaha Agung Organisasi Kerjasama Digital (DCO) Deemah Al Yahya, terdapat 2.7 peratus daripada penduduk dunia tidak berhubung malah tidak mempunyai sambungan asas internet. Beliau turut berkata infrastruktur pengkomputeran setiap negara perlu mempunyai kemampuan untuk mengembangkan kandungan tempatan khususnya yang melibatkan penggunaan AI.
Mesyuarat perundingan Enam Pihak Arab bincangkan perkembangan di Gaza
Mesyuarat perundingan Jawatankuasa Enam Pihak Arab itu membincangkan perkembangan serangan Israel ke atas Semenanjung Gaza.
Ancaman Israel untuk serang Rafah boleh cetuskan konflik dengan Mesir
Ancaman tentera Israel untuk menyerang Bandar Rafah di Semenanjung Gaza, Palestin boleh mencetuskan konflik dengan Mesir, kata Duta Mesir ke India Wael Mohamed Awad Hamed.
Pelajar PhD USIM ambil ujian di sebalik runtuhan di Gaza
Pelajar PhD USIM warga Palestin nekad menjalani Ujian Kelayakan yang dijalankan secara dalam talian pada Jumaat walaupun berdepan risiko dibom tentera Zionis pada bila-bila masa.
Gelombang haba bawa derita baharu, risiko penyakit ke Gaza
Peningkatan suhu melampau luar jangka di seluruh Gaza menambah derita yang dihadapi warga Palestin setiap hari di semenanjung itu.
Thailand, 17 lagi negara gesa pembebasan segera tawanan di Gaza
Pemimpin 18 negara dalam satu kenyataan bersama menggesa pembebasan segera semua tawanan termasuk warganegara mereka sendiri yang ditahan Hamas di Gaza.
Amnesty gesa universiti AS tarik balik tindakan keras terhadap protes Gaza
Dalam satu laporan, badan pemantau hak asasi mengutuk penindasan ke atas pelajar yang melakukan protes terhadap perang di Gaza.
Liga Arab gesa UNSC terima pakai resolusi gencatan senjata di Gaza
Majlis Liga Arab gesa Majlis Keselamatan menerima pakai resolusi, di bawah Bab VII Piagam PBB memaksa Israel untuk gencatan senjata di Gaza.
Bantahan perang di Gaza meningkat di universiti, kolej AS
Penunjuk perasaan mendesak agar dihentikan korban awam di Gaza yang kini mencecah lebih 34,000.
[LAPOR LANGSUNG] Freedom Flotilla to Gaza: NGO Malaysia gesa kerajaan mohon kebenaran Republik Guinea-Bissau guna bendera
Kumpulan NGO dari Malaysia menggesa kerajaan untuk membantu memudahkan misi pelayaran Break The Siege: Freedom Flotilla to Gaza.
'Laporan kubur besar Gaza membimbangkan' - Jurucakap AS
Pekerja kesihatan Gaza menemui sekurang-kurangnya 283 mayat dalam satu kubur besar di Hospital Nasser di bandar selatan Khan Younis.