The first picture of seven-week-old conjoined twins to undergo surgery

Proud parents: Angie and Azzedine Benhaffaf have described their newborn sons as 'little fighters', pictured here with the boys' sisters Malika and Iman

'The time we have between now and the boy's separation later in the year is very precious to us because we don't know realistically what is going to happen after the separation.

'It's our wish that the two babies survive but it's in God's hands really. Each minute and each day we have with them is precious and that's why we need to enjoy that time.'

Her husband added: 'Even if they stayed stuck together like that for ever they would still be my babies and I would be very proud of them.'

The boys were most recently cared for by Cork Maternity Hospital. Their surgery will be carried out by experts at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital-The family has not revealed exactly how the babies are conjoined.

It is understood they do not share major organs, making a successful outcome much more likely.

Just one in 100,000 live births leads to conjoined twins, the medical term for identical twins physically joined at birth.

The last case in Britain was last July. Lisa Chamberlain, 26, from Portsmouth, had Joshua, who was stillborn, and Jayden, who died half an hour later.

In December 2008, girls joined from the breastbone to the navel, born to Aled and Laura Williams, underwent an 11-hour operation at Great Ormond Street to separate them.

A day later Hope died. Faith died 23 days after her sister on Christmas Day.

(Edit:Ruby)