UNRWA Chief: Gaza Polio Vaccination Coverage Has Reached 90%

Palestinian employees of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) take part in a protest against job cuts (Reuters)
Palestinian employees of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) take part in a protest against job cuts (Reuters)
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UNRWA Chief: Gaza Polio Vaccination Coverage Has Reached 90%

Palestinian employees of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) take part in a protest against job cuts (Reuters)
Palestinian employees of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) take part in a protest against job cuts (Reuters)

Polio vaccination coverage in Gaza has reached 90%, the head of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency said on Monday, adding that the next step was to ensure hundreds of thousands of children got a second dose at the end of the month.

The campaign to vaccinate some 640,000 children in Gaza under 10 years of age against polio, which began on Sept. 1, presented major challenges to UNRWA and its partners due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

It followed confirmation by the World Health Organization (WHO) last month that a baby had been partially paralysed by the type 2 polio virus, the first such case in the Palestinian territory in 25 years, according to Reuters.

More than 446,000 Palestinian children in central and south Gaza were vaccinated earlier this month before a campaign to vaccinate a final 200,000 children in north Gaza began on September 10 despite access restrictions, evacuation orders and shortages of fuel.

The first round of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza ended successfully, UNRWA's chief Philippe Lazzarini said, adding that 90% of the enclave's children had received a first dose.

"Parties to the conflict have largely respected the different required "humanitarian pauses" showing that when there is a political will, assistance can be provided without disruption. Our next challenge is to provide children with their second dose at the end of September," he wrote on X.



Israeli Airstrike Targets Senior Hezbollah Figure in Beirut

People gather in front of a damaged building after an Israeli military strike at the Nuwayri area in Beirut, Lebanon, 10 October 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
People gather in front of a damaged building after an Israeli military strike at the Nuwayri area in Beirut, Lebanon, 10 October 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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Israeli Airstrike Targets Senior Hezbollah Figure in Beirut

People gather in front of a damaged building after an Israeli military strike at the Nuwayri area in Beirut, Lebanon, 10 October 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
People gather in front of a damaged building after an Israeli military strike at the Nuwayri area in Beirut, Lebanon, 10 October 2024. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Scores were killed and injured in an Israeli airstrike that targeted at least one senior Hezbollah figure in central Beirut on Thursday, security sources said.
A large fire blazed in the background as rescue workers used hand torches to search through the rubble for survivors.

It was not clear who the Hezbollah targets were. The neighborhood was not previously hit by Israel.
A thick column of smoke rose above central Beirut after what appeared to be Israel's latest major aerial attack in a widening offensive against Hezbollah.

"The Israeli enemy launched a strike in Beirut, targeting a building near the Khatam al-Anbiya complex in Nuwayri, with another strike targeting the Ras al-Nabaa area near the al-Amiliyah building," the National News Agency said.

At least 11 people were killed and 48 injured in a preliminary toll of the Israeli attacks, Lebanon's health ministry said in a statement.