The newborns are under the care of exhausted medics at Gaza's Al Shifa hospital, which is besieged by Israeli tanks battling Hamas fighters, and lacks electricity, water, food, medicines and equipment.
"Yesterday I had 39 babies and today they have become 36," said Dr. Mohamed Tabasha, head of the paediatric department at Al Shifa, in a telephone interview on Monday.
The premature babies, who weigh less than 1.5 kg (3.3 pounds) each and in some cases only 700 or 800 grammes, should be in incubators where the temperature and humidity can be regulated according to their individual needs.
"They are in a very bad situation where you slowly kill them unless someone interferes to adjust or to improve their situation," he said, also by telephone from Al Shifa.
Israel says Al Shifa hospital sits atop tunnels housing a headquarters for Hamas fighters, who are to blame for its plight for using patients as human shields, which Hamas denies.
Persons:
Al Shifa, Mohamed Tabasha, Tabasha, gastritis, Ahmed El Mokhallalati, Israel, Estelle Shirbon, Janet Lawrence
Organizations:
Shifa, Hamas, Thomson
Locations:
Israel, Palestinian, Gaza City, GAZA, Al, Gaza