The U.N. children’s agency, UNICEF, has reported a successful polio vaccination campaign in Gaza, reaching 189,000 children, surpassing its initial target. This achievement is seen as a rare bright spot in the nearly 11 months of ongoing conflict in the region.
UNICEF deployed over 500 teams across central Gaza to administer the polio vaccine to children under 10 years old. Both Israel and Hamas cooperated by observing limited pauses in the fighting to facilitate the campaign. The success of this initiative has prompted U.N. agencies to consider expanding the vaccination efforts to the more severely affected northern and southern areas of the territory, with a goal of reaching a total of 640,000 children.
