Polio vaccinations halted by blockade as latest Israeli strikes kill 9 children in Gaza

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Apr 22, 2025 1:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

The Israeli subject launched 1 of the biggest waves of strikes connected Gaza successful weeks on Tuesday, residents said, and wellness officials issued a caller informing that healthcare faced full illness from Israel's blockade of each supplies.

Gaza's Health Ministry said a UN-backed polio vaccination run meant to people implicit 600,000 children had been suspended, putting the enclave astatine hazard of the revival of a crippling illness that erstwhile had been all-but eradicated.

In diplomacy to extremity the conflict, a Hamas delegation was expected to get successful Cairo for talks. Two sources acquainted with the mediation effort said the delegation would sermon a caller offer, which would see a truce for 5 to seven years pursuing the merchandise of each hostages and an extremity to fighting.

The sources said Israel, which rejected a caller Hamas connection to merchandise each hostages for an extremity of the war, had yet to respond to a revamped semipermanent truce proposal. Israel demands Hamas beryllium disarmed, which the militants reject.

A Hamas root aboriginal denied cognition of an imminent visit, telling Reuters the radical stood by its request that immoderate statement indispensable extremity the war.

Gaza residents said Israeli forces bombed respective areas crossed the enclave from tanks, planes and naval boats. The attacks deed houses, structure encampments and roads, they added.

9 children among those killed successful latest Israeli strikes

An Israeli airstrike aboriginal Tuesday destroyed a multi-storey location successful the confederate metropolis of Khan Younis, sidesplitting 9 people, including 4 women and 4 children, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. The dormant included a two-year-old miss and her parents.

"They were asleep, sleeping successful God's peace. They had thing to bash with anything," said Awad Dahliz, the slain girl's grandfather. "What is the responsibility of this guiltless child?"

Also connected Tuesday, a onslaught successful the built-up Jabalia exile campy killed 3 children and their parents, and a onslaught successful Nuseirat killed a antheral and 2 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry's exigency work and section hospitals.

The Israeli subject did not person contiguous remark connected the strikes, but has accused Hamas of utilizing civilian infrastructure for militant purposes, which Hamas denies.

The airstrikes destroyed bulldozers and vehicles being utilized to assistance rubble and assistance retrieve bodies trapped nether the ruins, officials and residents said.

Hamas said the vehicles that were destroyed included 9 that had been received from Egypt, adding that the determination aimed to "deepen the suffering of our radical in Gaza."

The Israeli subject said they deed 40 "engineering vehicles" that were utilized for "terrorist actions," including the execution of Hamas's October 7, 2023 onslaught connected Israel.

The vehicles were "considered a cardinal constituent successful Hamas's quality to transportation retired violent operations against the Defence Forces and the State of Israel," said the military.

'Real catastrophe' if vaccines don't get immediately

Israel has imposed a full blockade connected each supplies to Gaza since the commencement of March, and relaunched its subject operations connected March 18 aft the collapse of a ceasefire.

Since then, Israeli strikes person killed much than 1,600 Palestinians according to the Gaza health authorities, and hundreds of thousands person been forced from their homes arsenic Israel seized what it calls a buffer portion of land extending heavy into Gaza.

Israel's 18-month bombing run has rendered astir each buildings successful the Gaza Strip uninhabitable, and Gaza's 2.3 cardinal radical present mostly unrecorded successful the unfastened nether makeshift tents. Since the full blockade was imposed past month, each 25 UN-supplied bakeries making breadstuff person been shut.

Israel says capable supplies were sent into the enclave during the six-week truce to keep Gazans live for months. Aid agencies accidental they fearfulness the colonisation is connected the precipice of starvation and wide disease.

If polio vaccines don't get immediately, "we expect a existent catastrophe. Children and patients indispensable not beryllium utilized arsenic cards of governmental blackmail," said Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Khalil Deqran.

He said 60,000 children were present showing symptoms of malnutrition.

Israel denies breaking planetary law

Israel says its blockade is aimed astatine pressuring the Hamas militants who run Gaza to merchandise 59 remaining Israeli hostages captured successful the October 2023 attacks that precipitated the war. Hamas says it is prepared to escaped them but lone arsenic portion of a woody that ends the war.

"Israel is acting successful afloat accordance with planetary law," Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote connected X, successful effect to U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, who called the Israeli blockade of Gaza since March a warfare crime.

"The humanitarian information in Gaza is perpetually monitored and ample quantities of assistance were delivered. Whenever it becomes indispensable to let further aid, it indispensable beryllium ensured that it does not walk done Hamas, which exploits humanitarian assistance to support power implicit the civilian colonisation and to nett astatine their expense," Katz wrote.

WATCH | Pope Francis called this Gaza religion astir each time until his death: 

Philippe Lazzarini, the caput of the United Nations Palestinian alleviation bureau UNRWA, described the blockade arsenic corporate punishment of Gaza's people.

"The siege indispensable beryllium lifted, supplies indispensable travel in, the hostages indispensable beryllium released, the ceasefire indispensable resume," Lazzarini said connected Tuesday successful a station connected X.

The struggle was sparked by a Hamas onslaught connected confederate Israel connected October 7, 2023, resulting successful 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages taken to Gaza, according to Israeli records.

Since then, section wellness authorities study that much than 51,000 Palestinians person been killed successful the Israeli offensive.