Gaza Conflict: Casualties Mount as Polio Vaccination Progresses
Ongoing violence in Gaza claims more lives as Israeli forces target militants. WHO reports success in polio vaccination campaign amid brief pauses in fighting. Ceasefire negotiations face obstacles.
In the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Palestinian officials reported 33 fatalities in the past 24 hours due to Israeli military operations. The casualties included four women in Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, and eight individuals near a hospital in Gaza City.
The Israeli military stated they eliminated eight Palestinian militants, including a senior Hamas commander allegedly involved in the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. The operation targeted a command center near the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, one of Gaza's oldest medical facilities.
Despite the ongoing violence, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported progress in its polio vaccination campaign. The initiative, which began 11 months after the conflict's start, has already inoculated about a quarter of children under 10 in Gaza. This effort was accelerated following the discovery of the first polio case in a Gazan infant last month.
"Up until now things are going well. These humanitarian pauses, up until now they work. We still have 10 days to go."
The vaccination campaign relies on daily eight-hour pauses in specific areas of Gaza, which is one of the most densely populated regions globally with approximately 2 million inhabitants.
However, hopes for a permanent ceasefire remain dim. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on maintaining troops in the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip along the Gaza-Egypt border. This stance has become a significant obstacle in negotiations, as Hamas demands a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza as part of any agreement.
The conflict, which has spanned over seven decades, escalated dramatically on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched an attack on southern Israel. This incursion resulted in 1,200 Israeli fatalities and the capture of over 250 hostages. In the subsequent 11 months, more than 40,800 Palestinians have lost their lives in Gaza, according to the enclave's health ministry.
As the situation continues to evolve, the international community, led by the United Nations, faces the challenge of balancing immediate humanitarian needs with long-term peace efforts in one of the world's most protracted conflicts.
