DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — More than two years after medical workers evacuated his oldest daughter, Kinda, from the neonatal intensive care unit at the Gaza Strip’s largest hospital, Samer Lulu beamed as he hoisted her into his arms.

The last time Lulu saw Kinda was before medical workers evacuated her and a group of other newborns from Shifa Hospital in November 2023. A power outage had shut down the incubators that kept the premature babies warm enough to survive.

Nearly two years of fighting between Israel and Hamas damaged the Gaza City hospital complex. Israeli troops also besieged the hospital during the first month of the war and stormed the facility shortly before medical workers evacuated the babies.

Born prematurely, the babies had thin skin, dangerously low weights and bodies too small to survive without constant medical care. When the power went out, medical staff wrapped the babies in blankets, removed them from the powerless incubators and placed them side by side to provide the warmth they needed.

Tracking the Gaza ceasefire

Keeping track of the status of President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for a ceasefire that would end Hamas’ rule in Gaza and rebuilding the territory after a devastating war.