Eleven children born prematurely in Gaza have returned home after being evacuated to Egypt during the conflict. The infants were moved from Al Shifa hospital’s neonatal care unit when it was besieged by Israeli forces in 2023.
Twenty-nine premature babies were initially evacuated, with thirty-one surviving the first month of the war. The return on Monday marks the end of a years-long separation for the eleven children and their families.
The children, who have never known their parents or Gaza, were born during a period of intense fighting. Their return occurs amidst ongoing uncertainty in a Gaza Strip significantly impacted by two and a half years of war.