Israeli soldiers 'forbade doctors and families' from reaching premature babies

The Gaza based doctor Ashraf al-Qidreh told AFP on Wednesday that Israeli soldiers "forbade" doctors and families from approaching five premature babies, who died in hospital before the temprary truce between Israel and Hamas came into force.

The five premature babies were discovered dead in a hospital in Gaza City, the Palestinian Ministry of Health told the news agency.

"The occupying forces left five premature babies in the intensive care unit of al-Nasr hospital," one of Gaza 's main paediatric hospitals , said doctor Ashraf al-Qidreh.

“The soldiers were forbidding doctors and families from approaching them and when the doctors were able to enter the ward on Tuesday evening, they found their bodies partly decomposed,” he added.

AFP contacted the Israeli army, who said they could not comment immediately.