A polio vaccination campaign in north Gaza is to resume on Sunday, one day after the World Health Organization reported injuries from a strike on the Sheikh Radwan clinic. Among the injured were four children. WHO has not identified who conducted the strike, though Gaza’s civil defense agency attributed it to an Israeli quadcopter. Israel stated it is investigating but has not confirmed responsibility.

The polio vaccination campaign in north Gaza, led by UNICEF and WHO, resumed after the campaigns were delayed due to the extensive Israeli bombings, mass displacement, and restricted access in the region. In August, Gaza reported its first polio case in 25 years, which left a baby paralyzed and prompted an urgent immunization drive. WHO had scheduled a follow-up polio dose for 119,000 children under the age of ten but now says this is unlikely to be reached.

As the vaccination campaign is resumed, several great challenges are to face health workers. With its vaccination campaign to curb the virus in north Gaza, 15,000 unattainable children live scattered within areas such as Jabalia and Beit Hanoun. The latest WHO humanitarian efforts are confined only up to Gaza City with less area of humanitarian pause where it cannot allow for a complete distribution of the vaccine.

The United Nations Children’s Fund has condemned the clinic strike in Sheikh Radwan as a reflection of the extreme civilian casualty scenario in Gaza. WHO further confirms that the conditions in northern Gaza are dire, where supply shortages place the population under extreme risk. The organizations and other UN bodies have also described the situation as “apocalyptic,” showing it to be an urgent situation concerning health and humanitarian aid.

As the polio vaccination campaign continues in north Gaza under these severe constraints, the UN emphasizes the need for uninterrupted access to halt the spread of the virus and protect public health. International calls for increased humanitarian assistance have become louder, urging measures to protect children in Gaza from polio and other risks posed by the ongoing conflict.

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