Dr. Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of Gaza’s largest medical facility, says neonatal intensive care units are on the brink of collapse as multiple premature babies are forced to share incubators.

The director of Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital, Dr. Mohammed Abu Selmia, has sounded the alarm over the worsening crisis in neonatal intensive care.
“Premature babies are now in a very critical condition,” he said, warning that the lack of essential medicines and medical equipment has placed newborns’ lives in jeopardy.

According to hospital staff, between three and five premature infants are often crammed into a single incubator due to the acute shortage of devices and supplies.

Medical teams across Gaza report that hospitals are overwhelmed, short of essential drugs, equipment, and supplies, and working under immense pressure. The shortage has crippled health services, preventing vital machines such as incubators and ventilators from operating reliably.

Years of blockade, compounded by nearly two years of intensified bombardment, have devastated Gaza’s already fragile health infrastructure. The Ministry of Health has repeatedly called for urgent international intervention to provide medicines, equipment, and supplies before more lives are lost.

While the possibility of transferring vulnerable newborns to other facilities has been raised, doctors warn that safe evacuation remains extremely limited under the current circumstances. Humanitarian agencies, including WHO and UNICEF, have urged immediate steps to ensure the survival of Gaza’s most vulnerable patients.(ILKHA)