Egypt says ready to receive newborns from Gaza's largest hospital

Cairo, Nov 18

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has instructed the country's medical sector to receive newborn babies from the Al-Shifa Hospital, the enclave's largest medical facility that suspended its operation on November 11 after it ran out of fuel.

To implement the directives of the President, Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said at a cabinet meeting on Thursday night that ambulances and incubators were ready at the Rafah crossing, the sole crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, to receive the 35 premature babies, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israeli forces raided the medical complex on Wednesday and claimed to have found a command centre and weapons belonging to the Hamas militant group.

The Hamas has however denied the accusation.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry in the enclave, between November 11 and 16, some 40 patients, including three premature babies, have died in the hospital due to lack of electricity.

On Thursday, a patient who suffered from kidney failure died because dialysis machines at Shifa had stopped working.