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\n<\/p>\n
A second WHO-led joint UN
\nmission, working in collaboration with the Palestine Red Crescent Society,
\nearlier today evacuated 31 babies from Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, to a
\nhospital in southern Gaza. The severely\u00a0ill babies were transported in 6
\nambulances supplied and staffed by the Palestine Red Crescent.\u00a0 Other
\nmission members included UN Mine Action, UNICEF and UNRWA.\u00a0The mission was
\nonce again assessed as high-risk, due to the active combat taking place in
\nclose proximity to\u00a0the hospital.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These premature and low The babies were successfully Sadly, none of the infants were The evacuation, which was Al-Shifa Hospital, previously the Today\u2019s mission was led by The complex and high-risk There remain\u00a0over\u00a0250 WHO reiterates its plea \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nbirthweight babies had earlier\u00a0been moved from the neonatal unit\u00a0in
\nAl-Shifa\u00a0to a safer\u00a0area in the hospital,\u00a0due to lack of
\nelectricity\u00a0to run their\u00a0life support,\u00a0and security
\nrisks\u00a0in the\u00a0hospital. Yesterday and last night, two babies died
\nbefore the evacuation could take place.\u00a0(Note, there were 33 babies
\nunder\u00a0care\u00a0yesterday, according to a Ministry of Health update.)\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\ntransported to\u00a0the neonatal intensive care\u00a0unit\u00a0at Al-Helal
\nAl-Emarati\u00a0Maternity Hospital\u00a0in southern Gaza,\u00a0where they are
\nbeing assessed and stabilized. Doctors there say all the\u00a0babies are
\nfighting serious infections due to lack of medical supplies and\u00a0impossibility
\nto continue infection control measures in Al-Shifa Hospital.\u00a0Eleven are in
\ncritical condition. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\naccompanied by\u00a0family members, as the Ministry of Health has only limited
\ninformation, and is not currently\u00a0able to find close family
\nmembers.\u00a0Six\u00a0health workers and 10 of their\u00a0family members, who
\nhad been sheltering\u00a0at the hospital,\u00a0were also evacuated.\u00a0
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nrequested by health workers and patients during the joint mission yesterday, became
\nnecessary as Al-Shifa Hospital is no longer\u00a0able to function due to
\na\u00a0lack of clean water, fuel, medical supplies, food, other\u00a0essential
\nitems\u00a0and the intense hostilities. WHO remains\u00a0deeply concerned about
\nthe safety and health needs of patients and health workers who remain\u00a0at
\nAl-Shifa Hospital, and in the few partially functional hospitals in the north
\nthat face imminent closure. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nlargest and most advanced referral hospital in Gaza,\u00a0together\u00a0with
\nother\u00a0hospitals, must be fully restored to provide\u00a0urgently needed
\nhealth services in Gaza. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\nsenior\u00a0WHO staff, including\u00a0a medical specialist\u00a0and\u00a0a
\ndoctor, and representatives from UNICEF, UNMAS\u00a0and UNRWA\u00a0as noted
\nabove. It included medical staff from the Palestine Red Crescent\u00a0Society,
\nalong\u00a0with their\u00a0ambulances. WHO is grateful
\nfor\u00a0their\u00a0partnership,\u00a0and the support of the rest of the UN,
\nworking together\u00a0as One UN.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\noperation, occurring in an\u00a0active conflict zone,\u00a0follows an
\nassessment mission yesterday, 18 November, which included public health
\nexperts, logistics\u00a0specialists,\u00a0and security staff from OCHA, UNDSS,
\nUNMAS\/UNOPS, UNRWA and WHO. Today\u2019s mission was deconflicted with the Israel Defense
\nForces\u00a0and with the defacto\u00a0authorities. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\npatients and 20\u00a0health workers at Al-Shifa,\u00a0who all request immediate
\nevacuation. Planning is ongoing to evacuate the remaining\u00a0patients, their
\nfamilies\u00a0and the health-care workers.\u00a0Given the complex security and
\nlogistics\u00a0constraints, these evacuations will take several days to
\ncomplete.\u00a0Priority will be given to the 22 dialysis patients and 50
\npatients with spinal injuries. WHO reaffirms its respect for\u00a0the
\ndedication, professionalism, humanity\u00a0and courage of the health staff who
\nhave continued to care for\u00a0their\u00a0patients under\u00a0unimaginably
\ndifficult conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nfor\u00a0collective efforts to bring an end to the hostilities and humanitarian
\ncatastrophe in Gaza.\u00a0 We call for\u00a0an immediate ceasefire, the
\nsustained flow of humanitarian assistance\u00a0at scale, unhindered humanitarian
\naccess to all of those in need, the unconditional release of all hostages\u2014many
\nof whom have serious medical needs\u2014and the cessation of attacks on health care
\nand other\u00a0vital infrastructure.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n