How premature babies survive afta attack on Gaza biggest hospital

"We get 36 premature babies wey don survive. Dem be 39, but three don die," Dr Marwan Abu Saada di head of di General Surgery department for Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital tok.

"Two die wen electric power off inside di hospital. Dem die becos of lack of oxygen. Di third one die from gastroenteritis."

Di doctor follow dis reporter tok for phone as Israeli soldiers dey search di basement of di Gaza Strip biggest hospital.

Israel dey accuse Hamas say dem get one command centre unda Al-Shifa and di US don tok say dia intelligence back am up, but Hamas don deny am.

Dr Abu Saada tok to me for on faint phone call afta I don try to call am many timess wey im no go. Di neonatal team dey sleep inside di hospital for di same floor as di babies.

Di 36 premature babies wey survive weigh from 800 to 1,200 grams and di youngest na 28 weeks old pikin.

E say di hospital no get contact wit any surviving parents or guardians, and as di war don start, dem no fit find relatives of dis babies.

According to di doctor, dem bring two babies come dia hospital afta dem find dem alone from di bomb attack. Dem born four odas wit Caesarean section afta dia mama don die.

Dem dey care for dis babies?

"We dey use heat blankets wey we bin dey use for surgery and put dem under di babies. We dey use oxygen cylinders, but luckily, na only two of di babies need oxygen now.

"E dey challenging to sterilise di oxygen tubes," e tok. "We dey try our best. We do whatever we fit do to try and sterilise di tubes. Na why we dey ask, make dem come evacuate dis babies- to avoid di risk make dem no begin develop sepsis."

Hospital staff don request for safe corners wey dem go set up for patients and doctors many times.

"Our resources dey limited. We no even get water. To operate di water well, we need regular electric power. We only fit operate am for every six hours before we get water. Dis na big challenge. We no get water for personal hygiene or drinking.

Without di ability to maintain sterile conditions, babies go die from diseases and infections wey we fit prevent under better condition.

"We dey try to save di life of dis premature babies na why we keep dem for room wit warm temperature, wey dey feed dem, and give dem antibiotics if dem need am," Dr Abu Saada tok.

Di neo-natal consultant and im team dey take care of dem constantly. "We get medical care for dem, but no be better environment," e tok.

Electricity no dey for di incubators becos fuel no dey.

"Di oxygen station for di hospital dey hit and fuel no dey to operate am. Di blockade on Al-Shifa prevent us from reconstructing anytin."

Wia di premature babies dey for Al-Shifa hospital?

Eight to ten tiny babies dey each bed, wit heated blankets and foil wey dem use protect dem.

Dr Abu Saada describe di situation: "If e dey cold - if di electric power don go off - we dey cover dem wit foil. Dem dey very sensitive and vulnerable to sickness."

"We dey save di small amount of fuel and [power from] solar panels for di premature babies, so dem no go die. Dem dey stay inside di cardiac surgery operating theatre - no be neo-natal unit. E dey inside di General Surgery building."

As for di Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) wey annouce say dem go send incubators and baby food, Abu Saada tok say im no hear anytin about dis information. E say dem need fuel, to be able to operate di incubators wey dey inside di hospital.

Im say since di IDF don attack di complex, di bridge wey dey connect di General Surgery and Specialised Surgery building don weak, and doctors no fit waka from wia dem dey wen dem start di attack

Al-Shifa hospital dey collect more premature babies for treatment?

"Ova di last five days we neva receive any new premature pikin," Dr Abu Saada tok. We dey admit premature babies bifor dem attack Al-Shifa. But now we no fit, becos we no fit provide dem wit di care we dem need.

"Dem no dey dia incubators, wey go fit put dem for di appropriate temperature.

"I dey keep in contact wit di neo-natal consultant evri day as I dey check dis premature babies. But today I no fit becos we no fit connect wit di other building."

Di future of di babies remain uncertain. Staff hope say dia families go find dem one day.

For now, di babies dey sleep togeda, wit labels wey dem attach for dia hand "Di pikin of" and dia mama name - if we sabi dia mama name.

How tins take be for staff of Al-Shifa?

Earlier, senior doctors for Al-Shifa hospital wey follow me tok about di situation inside di complex.

Dr Adnan al-Bursh, head of di orthopaedic surgery department, tok say doctors "no even fit look outside from di windows" wen Israeli soldiers dey enta di buildings.

But Mohamed Obeid, one orthopaedics surgeon, say im manage to "sneak to look quickly outside of di windows of di operating theatre, and im see seven soldiers wey enta through di Internal Medicine and Dialysis centre and anoda wey dey close to di non-operating building wey dem set up for X-rays".

"Everyone dey fear as di (IDF soldiers) go basements to collect everytin. Bifor dem arrive, we don evacuate patients from di fourth floor for di General Surgery building as dem attack am di walls begin dey damage, e scatta evri wia," e tok.

Dr Obeid tok say na group of 15 doctors dey stay inside one room for di General Surgery department and dem no fit connect wit doctors for oda building buildings, especially afta Israeli forces attack di bridge wey dey connect two main buildings for di hospital. He tok say dem don disconnect im group from "di outside world".

Edited by Kate Forbes