Israeli airstrikes in Gaza overnight killed more than a dozen people, including women and children, while health workers continued a critical polio vaccination campaign aimed at preventing an outbreak. The vaccination drive, launched after Gaza reported its first polio case in 25 years, targets 640,000 children under 10. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, an American protester and a 13-year-old Palestinian girl were fatally shot in separate incidents. The White House has called for an investigation into the American’s death. The ongoing conflict, which began after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel in October, has led to over 40,000 Palestinian deaths. Efforts to negotiate a cease-fire have been hampered by Israeli demands for continued control of key border areas.
Quick Read
- Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed over a dozen people overnight as health workers completed the second phase of a polio vaccination campaign.
- The vaccination drive, targeting 640,000 children, was launched after Gaza reported its first polio case in 25 years.
- Airstrikes in various parts of Gaza hit residential areas, killing civilians, including women and children.
- In the West Bank, a 13-year-old Palestinian girl and an American protester were fatally shot in separate incidents.
- The White House called on Israel to investigate the death of the American protester.
- The war has killed over 40,000 Palestinians since it began in October after Hamas attacked Israel, which left around 1,200 Israelis dead.
Israeli airstrikes kill over a dozen in Gaza amid urgent Polio vaccination effort
NEWSLOOKS- DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip
Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip claimed the lives of more than a dozen people overnight into Saturday, local authorities and hospital officials confirmed. Meanwhile, health workers pressed on with the final stages of a critical polio vaccination campaign aimed at averting a large-scale outbreak in the region. The polio vaccination drive, launched by the United Nations health agency, was initiated after the first confirmed case of polio in Gaza in 25 years—a 10-month-old boy whose leg is now paralyzed. The campaign, running for nine days, aims to vaccinate 640,000 children under 10, despite the war’s devastating impact on Gaza’s healthcare system.
Saturday marked the last day of the second phase of vaccinations in Gaza’s southern regions, before the campaign shifts to the northern areas. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that dozens of designated points had been set up in cities like Khan Younis and Rafah for families to bring their children for vaccinations. While the health effort continued, Israeli forces maintained their military offensive. Central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp saw two separate airstrikes that killed nine people, including civilians. Other strikes in the Bureij camp and the town of Jabaliya also resulted in fatalities, with women and children among the dead.
The conflict began after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 civilians and taking hostages. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The violence has also escalated in the West Bank. A 13-year-old Palestinian girl and a 26-year-old American protester, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, were both fatally shot on Friday. The White House has called on Israel to investigate the death of the American national, while Israeli authorities stated they are reviewing the circumstances of both incidents.
In the midst of the ongoing conflict, pressure continues to mount on Israel to agree to a cease-fire in Gaza, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains firm on the need for Israeli control of critical border areas, including the Philadelphi corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt. Hamas, on the other hand, has called for a complete Israeli withdrawal and the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of hostages and an end to the war.
