Ramallah (March 30, 2026): The first shipment under the Gaza Mobile Health initiative has entered the Gaza Strip, comprising 20 neonatal incubators as part of an urgent humanitarian effort to strengthen newborn care services amid the severe deterioration of the healthcare system.
This shipment comes as an immediate response to the acute shortage of incubators for premature and newborn infants in Gaza hospitals, where medical teams are operating under unprecedented pressure, threatening the survival of newborns and limiting the ability to provide essential care.
This effort forms part of the Gaza Mobile Health initiative, launched as an integrated response to support the overstretched health system. The initiative deploys mobile medical units capable of reaching areas where health facilities have been damaged or rendered non-operational, while ensuring their operation through qualified local healthcare providers in Gaza.
The project is implemented by Taawon in with technical support from leading international academic and research institutions, including: the American University of Beirut (AUB), the Center for Disaster Medicine, and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University. It is further supported through collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which provides logistical support and coordination, as part of a coordinated effort to enhance access to essential health services across Gaza.
Dr. Tareq Emtairah, Director General of Taawon, stated: “Newborns represent the most vulnerable group to health risks in Gaza, with the majority of infant mortality occurring within the first days after birth. This effort therefore focuses on strengthening specialized care services for premature and newborn infants, ensuring they have a better chance of survival amid the unprecedented strain on the health system.”
In its first phase, the initiative will support the donation of12 fully equipped and operational mobile medical units, including surgical operating theatres, primary healthcare clinics, specialized wound and trauma care units, and mobile laboratories. This phase also includes the provision of infant incubators. Many of these units will be supported by solar energy to ensure uninterrupted service delivery in the most challenging environments. The project further includes clean water through specialized filtration systems, enhancing the ability of health facilities to respond to growing needs.
The initiative aims to strengthen access to healthcare for the most vulnerable populations, including displaced persons, the injured, and the sick, particularly children and mothers, through a flexible model that allows rapid deployment and adaptation to the evolving realities on the ground.
Gaza Mobile Health initiative, together with its partners, continues to support its partners in the provision of mobile medical units, equipment, and supplies into Gaza, with the goal of expanding humanitarian reach and ensuring the continuity of essential health services across the Strip. The initiative also calls on donors and partners to support ongoing efforts to provide additional infant incubators, helping save more newborn lives and strengthen the health sector’s capacity to respond to growing needs.
