Polio vaccine campaign begins in Gaza as strikes continue

An Israeli soldier stands near the scene of a car that exploded in the West Bank settlement of Karme Tsur (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP)

A campaign to inoculate children in Gaza against polio and prevent the spread of the virus began on Saturday, as Palestinians in both the Hamas-governed coastal enclave and in the occupied West Bank reeled from Israel’s ongoing campaigns in both regions.

Children in Gaza began receiving vaccines on Saturday, the Strip’s health ministry announced in a news conference, a day before the large-scale rollout and planned pause in fighting agreed to by Israel and the United Nations World Health Organisation.