GAZA: Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Saturday killed at least 48 people, according to Palestinian health authorities. The strikes occurred amid ongoing clashes in central and southern Gaza as preparations began for a planned polio vaccination campaign.
The United Nations is set to start vaccinating approximately 640,000 children against polio, with the campaign relying on daily eight-hour pauses in fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas in designated areas of the besieged territory.
Yousef Abu Al-Reesh, Gaza’s deputy health minister, stressed the need for a comprehensive ceasefire to ensure the campaign’s success. He warned that only a complete ceasefire could guarantee the vaccination of all targeted children. “If the international community truly wants this campaign to succeed, it should call for a ceasefire,” he said at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
A symbolic vaccination event was held at Nasser Hospital as a precursor to the official campaign. The initiative follows the recent confirmation of a polio case in Gaza, marking the first instance in 25 years.
According to WHO officials, the campaign requires that at least 90% of children receive two doses of the vaccine, spaced four weeks apart, to be effective. However, the campaign faces significant obstacles due to the extensive damage from nearly 11 months of conflict.
In the Nuseirat refugee camp, Israeli strikes on Saturday resulted in at least 19 deaths, including nine members of the same family. Additional strikes across Gaza killed more than 30 people.
Fighting between Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other militant groups against Israeli forces continued in the Zeitoun neighborhood and Rafah, near the Egyptian border. The Israeli military reported operations aimed at eliminating militant infrastructure and weaponry.
In Khan Younis, families returned to their homes after a 22-day military offensive by the Israeli army, which aimed to prevent Hamas from regrouping. Extensive damage and destruction were reported in the area, with medics recovering at least nine bodies.
Over 40,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children have been killed in the around 11 month Israeli war on Gaza. According to authorities, nearly the entire Gaza population of 2.3 million has been displaced, and the region faces a severe hunger crisis.
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces continued their military operations in Jenin, with drones and helicopters overhead and sporadic firing reported.
