Deadly Israeli Strikes and Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza Amid Polio Vaccination Campaign

At least 20 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Nuseirat, central Gaza, today, as part of a larger offensive that has claimed at least 34 lives across the territory, according to medical sources on the ground. The strikes come amid escalating violence in the region, marking the largest Israeli military assault on Palestinian territory in over two decades.

In a concurrent humanitarian effort, Gaza health officials have begun vaccinating some children against polio in the central part of the enclave, with a larger UN-backed campaign set to commence tomorrow. The vaccination drive follows the detection of the first polio case in 25 years within the territory, where a baby was confirmed partially paralyzed by the type 2 polio virus.

Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh reports from Jenin, describing the city as a “ghost town,” with all shops closed and residents confined to their homes. Telecommunications in the camp are blocked, complicating paramedics' efforts to reach those in need. “This is day four, and the residents of the refugee camp have pretty much no access to any outside help,” Odeh stated.

Armed clashes have erupted between Palestinian fighters and Israeli forces in various locations, including the Jabriyat neighborhood of Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp, where Israeli forces blew up several homes. The armed wing of Hamas claimed that its members were involved in fighting with Israeli soldiers in Kafr Dan, a village west of Jenin.

Gaza's deputy health minister, Yousef Abu Al-Reesh, urged for a ceasefire to allow the vaccination campaign to reach its full potential. "If the international community truly wants this campaign to succeed, it should call for a ceasefire, knowing that this virus does not stop and can reach anywhere," he stated at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

The World Health Organization (WHO) officials emphasize that at least 90% of Gaza’s children need to be vaccinated twice, with four weeks between doses, for the campaign to be effective. However, the ongoing conflict poses significant obstacles, with the territory suffering extensive destruction after nearly 11 months of war.

According to Palestinian health authorities, Israeli strikes on Saturday alone killed at least 48 people, with further casualties reported today. In Nuseirat, one of Gaza's historic refugee camps, at least 19 people, including nine from a single family, were killed in separate strikes. More than 30 others were killed in strikes across other parts of Gaza, intensifying the humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave.

Fighters from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other groups continue to engage Israeli forces in northern Gaza's Zeitoun neighborhood and in Rafah, near the Egyptian border, as the conflict shows no signs of abating. The local health ministry reports that the conflict has claimed over 40,600 Palestinian lives, displaced nearly all of Gaza's 2.3 million residents, and created a severe hunger crisis. Israel, which denies genocide allegations filed at the World Court, maintains that its military actions are aimed at dismantling Hamas's military infrastructure.