Israel-Hamas war latest: UNICEF says polio vaccination campaign in Gaza is surpassing its target

Health, Israel-Hamas war, Immunizations, Politics, Polio and post-polio syndrome, World news, General news, Article

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reports that a polio immunization campaign in Gaza successfully reached 189,000 children, exceeding its goal and offering a “rare glimmer of hope” amidst nearly 11 months of conflict.

UNICEF disclosed on Wednesday that over 500 teams were deployed across central Gaza this week, administering the vaccine to children under the age of 10.

The organization stated that both Israel and Hamas agreed to temporary ceasefires to facilitate the campaign. U.N. agencies now aim to extend the immunization effort to the more heavily impacted northern and southern regions of the territory. Their goal is to vaccinate a total of 640,000 children.

The campaign was initiated following Gaza's first reported case of polio in 25 years - a 10-month-old boy, who is now paralyzed in one leg.

Health experts have raised concerns about the potential for disease outbreaks in the territory, where the majority of people have been displaced, often multiple times, and widespread hunger persists.

Hundreds of thousands of individuals are crowded into unsanitary tent camps with limited or nonexistent public services.

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Danish authorities apprehended Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and five others during a demonstration against the University of Copenhagen. The protesters, who voiced support for Palestinian causes, objected to the university’s collaborations with Israeli institutions.

The group was taken into custody on Wednesday for allegedly entering the university grounds without permission. Law enforcement officers reported that the protesters briefly blocked one of the university’s entrances. All individuals were subsequently released.

Police intervened to remove the demonstrators after they displayed an anti-Israel banner from a window in the university’s historic administrative building in Copenhagen’s central district.