Israel struck a hospital where children were being vaccinated, Palestinian officials say

Palestinian officials say Israel launched a drone attack on a clinic in northern Gaza where children were being vaccinated against polio, injuring six people, including four children. The Israeli army denies this.

The alleged attack took place on Saturday in northern Gaza, which has been surrounded by Israeli forces and largely isolated for the past year. Israel has carried out another offensive there in recent weeks that has killed hundreds of people and displaced tens of thousands, the AP reports.

Israeli forces have repeatedly attacked hospitals in Gaza during the course of the war, saying Hamas uses them for militant purposes, allegations denied by Palestinian health officials.

Dr. Munir al-Boursh, director general of the Gaza Ministry of Health, told The Associated Press that the Israeli military struck the Sheikh Radwan Clinic in Gaza City early Saturday afternoon, just minutes after a United Nations delegation left the facility. .

The World Health Organization and the UN children's agency, known as UNICEF, which are jointly running the polio vaccination campaign, expressed concern over the reported attack.

"The reports of this attack are even more disturbing as the Sheikh Radwan Clinic is one of the health points where parents can vaccinate their children," said Rosalia Bollen, a spokesperson for UNICEF.

"Today's attack happened while the humanitarian pause was still in effect, despite the guarantees given that the pause would be respected from 6 am to 16 pm," she added.

The campaign for the second dose of the polio vaccine began on Saturday in parts of northern Gaza. 

It was postponed from October 23 due to lack of access, Israeli bombardment, mass evacuation orders and lack of guarantees for humanitarian pauses, a UN statement said.