On Monday, 29 premature babies were evacuated from Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza to Egypt. The hospital has been a focal point in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and the World Health Organization (WHO) labeled it a "death zone" due to Israel's efforts to uncover alleged Hamas bases in tunnels beneath the facility.

The evacuation occurred on Sunday, with the babies crossing into Egypt through the Rafah crossing, the only entry and exit point to the Palestinian territory not controlled by Israel. Initially, 31 babies were reported to have been evacuated to another Gaza clinic, but only 29 made it to Egypt for reasons that are unclear.

According to reports from Al-Qahera News, the babies transported to Egypt were placed in incubators. However, a medical source mentioned that not all infants could be treated at El-Arish hospital, located 45 kilometers (28 miles) west of the Gaza Strip.

“There are not enough incubators at El-Arish hospital, and some babies will have to be transferred to Ismailia or Cairo,” the source stated.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on Sunday that 31 "very sick" babies were moved in a joint operation with the UN and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. Doctors found that "all the babies are fighting serious infections due to a lack of medical supplies and the impossibility to continue infection control measures in Al-Shifa Hospital," according to the Red Crescent.

During the initial evacuation, none of the babies were accompanied by family members, as the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza was unable to locate them, as reported by the WHO.