The Israeli military has refuted claims that it targeted a clinic in the northern Gaza Strip during a polio vaccination drive on Monday. The Gaza health ministry had previously stated that Israeli fire struck the Sheikh Radwan clinic on Saturday, injuring four children who were brought in for vaccination. The incident occurred during a humanitarian pause agreed upon to facilitate the vaccination campaign.
The military, in response, stated that it had conducted an initial review and found no evidence that its forces had carried out any strikes at the time of the reported incident. "Contrary to the claims, an initial review determined that the IDF did not strike in the area at the specified time," the military said in a statement.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, expressed concern over the incident, which took place shortly after a WHO team had visited the clinic. He emphasized the importance of respecting these humanitarian pauses to ensure the safety of vital health campaigns. "These vital humanitarian-area-specific pauses must be absolutely respected. Ceasefire!" he stated on the social media platform X on Saturday.
The Israeli military has long accused Hamas of operating from civilian areas to use people as human shields, a claim that Hamas denies. Given the restricted access to the area and the unreliable communication channels, verifying the claims from either side has become increasingly challenging.
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