Vaccines for children, medicines arrive in Gaza

By Abdel-Jabbar Abu Ras

ISTANBUL (AA) - Palestinian Health Minister Mai al Kaila on Friday announced the arrival of a shipment of children's vaccines and medicines to the Gaza Strip in coordination with UNICEF.

The health minister in a statement said the shipment crossed into Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

She said the vaccines are for protection against poliomyelitis, the disabling and life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus.

Israel has waged a war against Hamas since the group's Oct. 7 cross-border attacks, which are believed to have killed 1,200 people.

Israel's bombing and ground offensive, meanwhile, has killed over 23,000 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children.​​​​​​​

Officials and non-profits working in the territory have time and again pointed to the shortage of medical supplies, including children's vaccines, warning of catastrophic health repercussions.

Earlier this week, UNICEF said it had distributed 600,000 doses of life-saving vaccines for hospitals throughout the strip, adding that it "is on the ground in Gaza working to protect every child."

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar