Israeli military strikes killed at least 27 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Friday, as health officials resumed polio vaccinations for tens of thousands of children in the enclave. Humanitarian workers warn of a crisis in education as children are out of school for a second year.
Health officials said the airstrike killed two women and two children in Nuseirat, while eight others died in two other airstrikes in Gaza City and others in subsequent strikes on the enclave. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) also fought Hamas in the Zeitoun suburb of Gaza City. Israeli tanks have been operating in the area for more than a week, in the eastern neighbourhoods of Khan Younis and in Rafah, near the border with Egypt, where locals said Israeli forces blew up several homes.
Against this backdrop, polio vaccination continues. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said at least 160,000 children in southern Gaza received the drops on Thursday, where health workers launched the second phase of the campaign, taking advantage of an agreement between Israel and Hamas on limited pauses in fighting. The organisation said:
UNRWA is working with UNICEF, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and local health partners around the clock and in a race against time to vaccinate every child in the Gaza Strip, according to Juliet Touma, UNRWA’s communications director.
Since 1 September UNRWA & partners have vaccinated nearly 355,000 children against polio in Gaza middle & southern areas. In the next few days we’ll continue rolling out the polio vaccination campaign aiming to reach around 640,000 children under 10 with this critical vaccine.
UNRWA is working with UNICEF (WHO), and local health partners around the clock and in a race against time to vaccinate every child in the Gaza Strip, according to Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s Director of Communications. On Sunday, the campaign will move to the northern Gaza Strip, which has been the centre of a major Israeli military offensive over the past 11 months. WHO reported that the second round of vaccinations will require four weeks after the first round.
Second year without school
In the Gaza Strip, the second year has begun without attending school, as most children have to help their families amid Israel’s devastating campaign. Humanitarian workers say that prolonged deprivation of education poses long-term harm to the children of Gaza. Younger children are suffering in their cognitive, social, and emotional development, while older children are at greater risk of being drawn into work or early marriage, said Tess Ingram, regional representative for UNICEF, the UN agency for the protection of children.
625,000 children in Gaza have already missed nearly a whole year of education. Schools closed after Israel launched an offensive in response to the attack by Hamas on southern Israel on 7 October. With protracted negotiations over a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, it is unclear when they will be able to return to classes.
Over 90% of school buildings in Gaza have been damaged by Israeli bombings, many of which are managed by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinians, according to data from the Global Education Cluster, a group of organisations led by UNICEF and Save the Children. About 85% are so severely damaged that they require major reconstruction – meaning it could take years before they are fit for use again. Gaza’s universities are also in ruins.
