Riyadh: A life-saving operation to separate a pair of Palestinian conjoined twins from Gaza has been successful, the BBC reported, quoting doctors who spoke to the Saudi Press Agency.

The baby girls, named as Farah and Haneen, underwent surgery at King Abdullah Children’s Hospital in Riyadh.

Farah and Haneen shared a leg but had separate hearts and lungs.

In October, the girls’ doctor in Gaza’s Shifa Hospital, Alam Abu Hamda, had said the “complicated condition” of the baby girls could not be dealt with by medics in the impoverished coastal territory. The girls were later flown to Saudi Arabia with their father. They were joined at the abdomen and lower body.

SPA reported that the operation required separating the intestine, liver and pelvic wall, and involved nine stages.

According to Saudi media, the twins were flown to Saudi Arabia in December for the treatment, after being transported from Gaza to Jordan.

In Gaza, the UN says, quality of health services has deteriorated due to the Israeli blockade and wars, and budget cuts.