On Saturday, Israeli airstrikes resulted in the deaths of at least 48 individuals in the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian health officials. Clashes erupted in central and southern parts of the area just before the beginning of a polio vaccination campaign.

The United Nations is set to begin vaccinating about 640,000 children in Gaza against polio, contingent on daily eight-hour ceasefires arranged between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in certain regions of the besieged territory.

Yousef Abu Al-Reesh, the deputy health minister from Gaza, indicated that vaccination teams will attempt to reach as many locations as possible to maximize coverage; however, he stressed that only a full ceasefire would ensure sufficient access to children for the vaccination effort.

“If the international community genuinely wants this vaccination initiative to succeed, they should advocate for a ceasefire, since this virus continues to spread and can reach anywhere,” he stated during a press conference at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

On Saturday, healthcare workers began vaccinating some children at the wards of Nasser Hospital in a symbolic act prior to the official start of the campaign.

This campaign was initiated after it was reported last week that a baby was partially paralyzed due to the type 2 polio virus, marking the first such case in the region in 25 years.

According to officials from the WHO, at least 90% of the children must receive two vaccine doses with a four-week interval for the campaign to be successful, but significant obstacles remain due to the devastation in Gaza, which has faced nearly 11 months of warfare.

On Saturday, with over 2,000 medical and community personnel gearing up for the vaccination effort, medics in Nuseirat, one of the eight historic refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, reported that separate Israeli strikes took the lives of at least 19 individuals, including nine family members.

Additionally, more than 30 people lost their lives in a series of attacks across other regions in Gaza, as reported by medical personnel.

Local residents and militant sources noted that fighters from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other factions engaged in battles with Israeli troops in the northern Gaza neighborhood of Zeitoun, where tanks have been active for several days, as well as in Rafah, close to the Egyptian border.

The Israeli military declared in a statement that it continued its operations in central and southern Gaza. They asserted that their forces targeted militants and destroyed military facilities in Gaza City while also locating weapons and eliminating gunmen in the Tel Al-Sultan area of western Rafah.

In Khan Younis, after the military concluded a 22-day offensive aimed at stopping Hamas from regrouping, families began to return to their neighborhoods. Footage revealed widespread devastation, with buildings and infrastructure ravaged.

Medics reported recovering at least nine bodies from areas under military operations.

The latest chapter in the prolonged Israeli-Palestinian conflict began on October 7, when Hamas fighters attacked Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people and the capture of around 250 hostages, according to Israeli reports.

Israel’s subsequent military actions in the Hamas-controlled region have resulted in over 40,600 Palestinian fatalities, as per reports from the local health authorities. Almost the entire population of Gaza, which totals 2.3 million, has been displaced and

The enclave is currently experiencing a severe hunger crisis. Allegations of genocide against Israel are being discussed at the World Court, which Israel firmly denies.

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces continue their military operations in the city of Jenin. Drones and helicopters are seen flying above while intermittent gunfire is heard throughout the city.

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo and Mohammed Salem in Gaza; Edited by Angus MacSwan)