Israeli Strikes in Gaza Kill 61 as UN Pushes Vaccination Campaign

Israeli Strikes in Gaza Kill 61 as UN Pushes Vaccination Campaign

At least 61 people were killed across the Gaza Strip in the last 48 hours as Israeli military strikes intensified in the ongoing conflict with Hamas-led fighters, according to local medics on Saturday.

The attacks come as diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire remain deadlocked 11 months into the war, with no agreement on the release of Israeli and foreign hostages held in Gaza or Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

Among the casualties, an airstrike hit the Halima al-Sa’diyya school compound in Jabalia, which serves as a shelter for displaced people, killing eight and injuring 15 others. Another strike on a house in Gaza City left five dead. Later, four more people were killed, and 25 wounded, in a strike on the Amr Ibn Ala’as school in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan suburb.

Palestinian health officials confirmed that Israeli strikes killed at least 28 people on Saturday alone, bringing the death toll in the past two days to 61.

Armed groups, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah, continue to resist Israeli forces, deploying anti-tank rockets, mortar bombs, and explosives targeting military vehicles in central and southern Gaza.

As mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and the United States struggle to broker a ceasefire, tensions remain high. A new US proposal is expected in the coming days, but significant differences persist between the warring sides. Senior Hamas official Hossam Badran reiterated the group’s commitment to a July 2 proposal, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas for introducing unacceptable conditions.

Despite the ongoing violence, the United Nations, working with local health authorities, has launched a vaccination campaign for 640,000 children in Gaza following the detection of its first polio case in 25 years. So far, over half of the targeted children in southern and central Gaza have received their vaccines, with the campaign moving to northern Gaza on Sunday.

The conflict, which began on Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, has claimed the lives of over 40,900 Palestinians and displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. The violence has also sparked accusations of genocide at the World Court.