Gaza: Strike hits health centre as polio vaccine campaign resumes in ravaged north
2024-11-02 12:00
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — An Israeli airstrike damaged a health centre in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, local officials said, as health workers resumed a polio vaccination campaign in the war-ravaged area.
The strike on the clinic in the Jabalia refugee camp came as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched a two-day campaign to vaccinate children against polio in the northern Gaza Strip, which was heavily damaged in the recent 11-day war between Israel and Hamas.
The airstrike caused damage to the clinic’s roof and walls, but no injuries were reported, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
“The strike on the health centre is a violation of international law,” said Gerald Rockenschaub, head of the WHO office in the occupied Palestinian territories. “Health facilities should be protected at all times, especially during conflicts.”
The polio vaccination campaign is part of a wider effort to prevent the spread of the disease in the Gaza Strip, where there have been no cases of polio since 1988.
“Polio is a highly infectious disease that can cause paralysis and even death,” said UNICEF spokesperson Tamara Kummer. “It is critical that we reach every child in the Gaza Strip with the polio vaccine.”
The WHO and UNICEF are working with the Gaza Health Ministry to ensure that all children under the age of five are vaccinated against polio.
“We are committed to doing everything we can to protect the health of children in the Gaza Strip,” said Rockenschaub. “This vaccination campaign is a vital part of that effort.”
The Israeli military said that it was investigating the airstrike on the health centre.
Gaza: Strike hits health centre as polio vaccine campaign resumes in ravaged north
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