Israeli military strikes claimed the lives of at least 12 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Friday, according to medics. Simultaneously, health officials in the enclave resumed the vaccination of tens of thousands of children against polio. In Nuseirat, one of the territory's eight historic refugee camps, an Israeli strike resulted in the deaths of two women and two children, while eight other individuals perished in two separate strikes in Gaza City, as reported by medics. Meanwhile, Israeli forces engaged in clashes with Hamas-led fighters in the Zeitoun suburb of Gaza City, eastern Khan Younis, and Rafah, near the border with Egypt, where residents reported Israeli forces had been operating tanks for over a week and had blown up several houses.
Eleven months into the ongoing war, diplomatic efforts have yet to secure a ceasefire deal to end the conflict and secure the release of Israeli and foreign hostages held in Gaza, along with many Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. Both sides continue to point fingers at each other for the failure of mediation efforts by countries such as Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. The US is preparing to present a new ceasefire proposal to bridge the differences, but the prospects of a breakthrough remain uncertain due to the significant gaps between the parties. On Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the responsibility of both Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas to agree on the remaining issues to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza. While nearly 90% of the ceasefire deal is agreed upon, critical issues remain unresolved, including the so-called Philadelphi corridor on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip bordering Egypt. Israel has stated it will not relinquish control of the corridor, while Hamas insists that an agreement is impossible unless they do.
In the midst of the conflict, residents of Khan Younis and displaced families from Rafah continued to flock to medical facilities to have their children vaccinated against polio. The vaccination campaign was initiated following the discovery of a partially paralyzed one-year-old baby, marking the first known case of the disease in Gaza in 25 years. The re-emergence of polio underscores the dire state of Gaza's health system, which has virtually collapsed due to the ongoing war, with many hospitals rendered inoperative. The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA reported that at least 160,000 children received the polio vaccine in southern Gaza areas on Thursday, marking the second stage of the campaign, facilitated by a limited pause in the fighting agreed upon by Israel and Hamas.
UNRWA announced on X that since September 1, nearly 355,000 children in Gaza's middle and southern areas have been vaccinated against polio. The agency plans to continue the campaign in the coming days, aiming to reach around 640,000 children under 10 with the critical vaccine. The campaign will shift to the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday, which has been the focal point of the major Israeli military offensive over the past 11 months. According to the World Health Organisation, a second round of vaccination will be necessary four weeks after the initial round.
