Infants evacuated from al-Shifa Hospital during Israel’s siege in 2023 return home after years of separation.

Eight Palestinian toddlers who were evacuated as premature babies during Israel’s assault on Gaza have returned to the war-torn territory after more than two years, offering a rare moment of joy.

The children were among a group of at least 25 babies born prematurely and evacuated from al-Shifa Hospital in November 2023, as Israeli forces stormed the medical complex in Gaza City.

Crowds gathered in Rafah on Monday for the reunion of families torn apart by Israel’s genocide in Gaza. More than 72,200 people, including tens of thousands of women and children, have been killed since the war began in October 2023.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said its teams took part in a humanitarian mission to return the eight toddlers to Gaza, accompanied by three relatives and two medical staff, after the infants received treatment outside the Strip.

Parents under Israeli bombardment and forced displacement went weeks and months waiting to know if their babies survived.

“Our feelings are indescribable. This is the most important moment in our lives, especially since she is my first daughter,” Samer Lulu, the father of Kinda Lulu, told Al Jazeera.

“But our feelings are mixed with pain because of the reality we live in – a difficult reality, a reality with an uncertain future.

“We hope that the future of our children will not be filled with the tragedy or suffering they faced at the beginning of their lives. We want a safe future for our children.”

Reuniting is ‘a beautiful feeling’

In 2023, the babies were moved from al-Shifa to southern Gaza before being evacuated to Egypt for life-saving treatment. Inside Gaza’s hospitals, doctors struggled to keep them alive under Israel’s siege.

“There were severe shortages in medicine, like antibiotics, solutions, and food, which were banned by Israel from reaching al-Shifa medical complex,” said Mohammad Zaqout, a doctor at Emirati Hospital and director general of hospitals in the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Ola Hijji, the mother of Sulaiman Hijji, another one of the toddlers, said she was forced to undergo a caesarean section at eight months pregnant after severe pain and complications.

“They took him from Al Helou Hospital to the neonatal intensive care unit at al-Shifa Hospital, and I haven’t seen him since,” Hijji said. “It’s a beautiful feeling [to reunite].”

Despite an ongoing “ceasefire” in the Strip since October 2025, Israeli attacks on the coastal territory have continued on a near-daily basis, killing more than 700 Palestinians and injuring many more, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

On Tuesday, two Palestinians were wounded by Israeli forces east of the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported, quoting local medical sources.