Gaza City, February 26 (RHC)-- The UN children’s agency (UNICEF) says it has almost reached its target of immunizing children in Gaza against polio.   “More than 586,000 children in Gaza — 99% of our target — have been vaccinated against polio in just four days,” UNICEF said in a post on X.

The post described the latest drive as a “huge accomplishment” for teams from UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the Palestinian Ministry of Health and UNRWA who helped bring the booster doses to children across Gaza.

Deteriorating health and sanitation conditions amid Israeli bombardment saw polio return to Gaza in 2024, after a 25-year absence, prompting a massive drive to return vaccination rates to pre-war levels.

Meanwhile, doctors in Gaza are appealing for adequate shelter for children as more babies die of hypothermia in Gaza.

Israel was supposed to let in 60,000 mobile homes and 200,000 tents as part of phase one of the ceasefire deal.  But only a fraction of that amount has been allowed in.