Soldiers were preparing to move possibly up to 37 newborns from the Al-Shifa facility – the largest medical complex in the obliterated territory.
Israel claims Hamas jihadists turned hospitals into “command and control centres and hideouts for terrorists” with fuel for military operations hidden at facilities such as the Al-Shifa.
Troops have been on the ground in the centre of Gaza – from where it says Hamas’s military high command operates – for the past fortnight.
The hospital is where tens of thousands of Palestinians – sick or wounded or displaced by the fighting – have sought sanctuary.
Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht, of the Israeli Defence Forces, said: “We understand the timeliness of this and we are working very hard to try to coordinate this effort.”
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Israel said it would not reveal where the babies will be taken or how they will be evacuated because the rescue plan was “still being developed”.
The imminent emergency evacuation comes after desperate medics issued a “last desperate call” for help to save premature babies who are fighting for their lives inside the hospital while gun battles between Israeli forces and Hamas militants rage on the streets outside.
Dr Mohamed Abu Selima, director of the Al-Shifa, said the sprawling medical complex was now “completely isolated from the world” as it was plunged into darkness because of power blackouts and fuel shortages.
Life-saving medical equipment had stopped working after fuel generators ran dry of fuel at the weekend.
It is feared at least two of the 37 premature babies being cared for in the facility’s special unit might have already died because of power cuts. The rest are being kept alive by manual artificial respiration.
Dr Selima said: “Due to power outage, four patients in the intensive care unit have died. Drones target anybody trying to move within the premises of the hospital. We have no water, no food, no electricity, no internet.”
Dr Ashraf Al Qadra, a spokesman for the Gaza Ministry of Health, said Israeli military “target anyone moving between buildings at the hospital”. He claimed there were 70 dead in the building but they have been unable to be buried in the gardens because “snipers target us when we do”.
He added: “The artificial kidney unit is burning now and we tried to put out the flames with some sand as we have no water. This could be the last appeal to save our hospitals as all of us are under fire.”
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Lt Col Hecht insisted the IDF was not targeting the hospital but “the terrorists hiding under it”. He added: “Our goal is not to take over hospitals. Our goal is to dismantle terrorist infrastructure. We will use a disruptive way to root out Hamas activity.”
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry claims there are still 1,500 patients inside the Al-Shifa along with 1,500 medics. Some 20,000 people have sought shelter there.
It is believed the smaller Rantisi and Nasser hospitals have already been evacuated after the IDF ordered Palestinians to leave and move south.
At least 12 people have died at the Al-Shifa because of power cuts and a shortage of supplies, it is claimed.
The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service said Al-Quds, another hospital in Gaza, is “no longer operational” as it has no fuel. The region’s sole power plant was forced to shut a month ago and Israel has barred fuel imports, saying Hamas military would use them.
Save the Children said: “Civilians, and infrastructure essential for their lives, such as hospitals and schools, must be spared from the violence.
“Children are terrified, have been forced from their homes and are cut off from an education.
“If violence escalates further, children’s lives and futures will be the inevitable cost. The only way to truly protect children is to halt this violence.” Hamas launched a murder spree in Israel on October 7 in an atrocity that shocked the world and saw more than 1,400 people killed and 240 hostages taken.
It triggered a response from Israel to reduce the jihadi cell to “rubble and dust” that sparked a “catastrophe”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected international criticism over the rising civilian death and casualty toll, angrily urging the West to support the Jewish state.
His response came after French President Emmanuel Macron broke ranks and demanded Israel stop killing babies and women in Gaza, saying there was “no justification” for the continued bombing of the enclave.
But yesterday Mr Netanyahu stated there “could be” a potential hostage deal with Hamas – though he declined to give any further details.
He explained: “I think the less I say about it, the more I’ll increase the chances that it materialises.”
Mr Netanyahu also stated he strongly opposes the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza as part of a recognised Palestinian state, a long-term move towards a two-state solution sought by America.
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