Geneva, Nov 3 (EFE).- An attack on a primary health care center in northern Gaza has injured six people, including four children, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) as the third phase of a polio vaccination campaign resumed after a two-week delay due to security concerns.
In a statement to local media, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied targeting health centers in the area.
In a post on social media platform X, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was “an extremely concerning report that the Sheikh Radwan primary health care center in northern Gaza was struck.”
Adhanom said the attack took place as “parents were bringing their children to the life-saving polio vaccination” in an area where a humanitarian pause was agreed to allow the immunization to proceed.
“Six people, including four children, were injured,” he said.
Adhanom did not specify the type of attack or identify the perpetrators. He warned that incidents like these «jeopardize children’s health» and could discourage parents from bringing their children for vaccination.
Adhanom called for a strict adherence to humanitarian pauses in each designated zone.
The IDF, in a statement published by The Times of Israel, denied any responsibility.
“We are aware of a claim about the harm to Palestinian civilians at the Sheikh Radwan vaccination center in the northern Gaza Strip. Contrary to what was claimed, a preliminary investigation reveals that there was no strike by IDF forces in the area at the time in question,” the IDF said.
The Israeli military said the vaccination campaign was coordinated with the IDF through COGAT, the Israeli army’s Palestinian civilian affairs agency, and with the international community to ensure safety.
“The Hamas terror organization deliberately fires from civilian areas, systematically violates international law, and cynically exploits the civilian population as a shield for terror acts against the state of Israel.”
On Friday, a joint WHO-UNICEF statement confirmed that a humanitarian pause had been granted to allow the vaccinations to proceed.
Approximately 15,000 children under the age of 10 in areas like Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun remain unreachable due to security restrictions, WHO and UNICEF reported.
The third and final phase aims to administer a second dose of the oral polio vaccine to 119,000 children.
However, given the current access limitations, the organizations acknowledged that this goal might not be met. In an effort to avoid a gap between the first and second doses for many children, they opted to begin partial vaccinations in northern Gaza.
In central and southern Gaza, more than 450,000 children, 96 percent of the target group, have already been vaccinated, WHO and UNICEF noted.
The UN agencies and their partners launched the campaign’s first phase in September, with over 200 teams ready since October 23 to carry out the final round.
However, the campaign had been delayed by Israeli airstrikes, ground fighting, and a lack of humanitarian pauses needed to safely administer the vaccines.
Polio was eradicated in the Gaza Strip 25 years ago, but the current conflict has led to multiple health crises, the WHO said. EFE
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