Conjoined twins born in Gaza will need care abroad

A Palestinian doctor has said conjoined twins born in the Gaza Strip are in good health, but will need treatment abroad.

Dr Allam Abu Hamda, a neonatal specialist at Gaza's Shifa hospital, said the girls are in "stable" condition and doctors have begun feeding them.

The sisters were born on Saturday by caesarean section after a full-term pregnancy.

Most cases die within 24 hours of birth, the doctor said.

The girls are joined at the abdomen and pelvis but they have separate heads and lungs. Palestinian hospitals lack the equipment and expertise required to separate the twins.

Dr Hamda said doctors are trying to arrange a transfer of the girls to advanced hospitals in the US or Saudi Arabia to determine whether they can be separated.