Two babies evacuated from North Gaza, UNICEF says

GENEVA, Oct 10 (Reuters) - The U.N. children's agency has evacuated two of 18 newborns from a North Gaza hospital to be reunited with their parents further south, it said on Friday.

Its attempt to move two of the babies was suspended on Thursday amid an ongoing Israeli military assault on the city, UNICEF said, but the children have since been reunited with their parents.

Israeli troops began pulling back from some parts of Gaza on Friday as a ceasefire took effect.

"We had 18 babies in incubators at the beginning of week. Two got moved yesterday," UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires told a Geneva press briefing, saying the others are waiting in incubators for transfer.

"I hope this is just an example of what will come after the ceasefire is fully implemented," he said.

Israel's COGAT, the arm of the Israeli military that oversees Gaza aid flows, confirmed that the two babies were transferred late on Thursday in coordination with UNICEF.

It contested that its actions had suspended the initial operation on Thursday, saying that it was at UNICEF's request that the babies were briefly returned to hospital.

"The IDF (Israeli Defence Forces), through COGAT, will continue to work in full cooperation with international aid organizations to allow and facilitate humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip," the COGAT spokesperson said.