As the Israel-Palestine conflict enters its 11th month, Gaza’s youngest residents are battling a silent enemy: polio. Over 640,000 children under 10 are now part of an urgent vaccination drive amid overcrowded shelters and collapsing healthcare systems. 🏥💔
‘We’re surrounded by bombs, but disease scares me more,’ Ahamed Sharaf told CGTN while waiting at a clinic in Deir al-Balah. His son is among thousands facing malnutrition and unsanitary conditions, turning displacement camps into breeding grounds for outbreaks.
The UN Relief and Works Agency warns vaccines alone aren’t enough. ‘Without a lasting ceasefire, children remain at risk,’ a spokesperson emphasized. With 90% of Gaza’s population displaced, experts say restoring basic sanitation and healthcare is as critical as stopping bullets.
🚨 Why it matters: Polio, once nearly eradicated globally, now threatens a generation traumatized by war. As global aid groups race against time, Gaza’s crisis highlights how conflict fuels public health disasters.
