Crisis in Gaza: Efforts to Vaccinate Amidst Conflict

Israeli forces have killed at least 48 Palestinians in Gaza over the past 24 hours amidst ongoing battles with Hamas militants. Amidst the turmoil, medics have continued a polio vaccination campaign, immunizing more than 80,000 children. Both sides have agreed to temporary pauses in fighting to facilitate the vaccination drive.

In the last 24 hours, Israeli forces have killed 48 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip in ongoing confrontations with Hamas-led militants, according to Palestinian officials. Despite the conflict, medics have pressed on with a polio vaccination campaign, reaching over 80,000 children by Sunday in central Gaza areas.

Both Hamas and Israel have agreed to brief pauses in the fighting to ensure the vaccination of approximately 640,000 children can proceed. No violations have occurred near the vaccination sites. On Monday, Palestinian officials reported that seven people were killed in two Israeli air strikes in Gaza City, with six more fatalities in the refugee camps of Bureij and Nuseirat.

The Israeli military has yet to comment on these events. Meanwhile, fighters from Hamas and Islamic Jihad have engaged Israeli forces in multiple regions of Gaza employing anti-tank rockets and mortar fire. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reiterated its call for an immediate ceasefire to guarantee the safety and success of the vaccination campaign.

As the vaccination efforts continue, parents, like Waffa Abdelhadi, face the dual challenge of reaching medical facilities amidst the war-torn landscape and coping with the broader consequences of the ongoing conflict.

(With inputs from agencies.)