Israeli strikes yesterday killed at least 48 people in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian health authorities said, as clashes took place in central and southern areas of the enclave ahead of the planned start of a polio vaccination campaign.
The United Nations is due to start vaccinating some 640 000 children in the territory against polio, relying on daily eight-hour pauses in fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in specific areas of the besieged enclave.
Yousef Abu Al-Reesh, Gaza’s deputy minister of health, said vaccination teams would try to get to as many areas as possible to ensure wide coverage but he said only a comprehensive ceasefire could guarantee enough children are reached.
“If the international community truly wants this campaign to succeed, it should call for a ceasefire, knowing that this virus does not stop, and can reach anywhere,” he told reporters at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis.
Source: BBC
In other news – Chidimma Adetshina crowned Miss Universe Nigeria 2024
Chidimma Adetshina was crowned Miss Universe Nigeria on Saturday, capping a difficult few weeks for the beauty queen. This journey has been a tough journey for me and I am so proud of myself and I’m really grateful for the love and the support,” Adetshina told AFP minutes after being crowned in Nigeria’s commercial capital of Lagos.
This is something that I’ve always wanted, and I’m really glad that I have a second shot as well at achieving it,” Adetshina said. Read more
