North Gaza’s first cross-border attack on Israel comes after strike on vaccination center injures 4 children – Firstpost

Major developments in the war in Gaza took place on Saturday (2 November). An Israeli strike on a polio vaccination center in Gaza has drawn sharp criticism from the World Health Organization (WHO). Meanwhile, projectiles fired from northern Gaza marked the first cross-border attack on Israel from there in weeks.

Here’s a detailed look at both developments.

The attack on the polio vaccination center

A strike on a polio vaccination center in northern Gaza has injured six people, including four children, according to the WHO. The director-general of the international organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the center in Sheikh Radwan was hit as parents brought their children for polio vaccinations.

He called the incident “extremely concerning.” The area was under a humanitarian pause designed to allow the vaccination campaign to continue, he added.

UN officials have warned of an “apocalyptic” humanitarian situation in northern Gaza, where civilians have been cut off from basic assistance and essential supplies amid ongoing hostilities.

The cross-border attack on Israel from northern Gaza

Meanwhile, the Israeli military reported that two projectiles were fired from northern Gaza into Israel, marking the first such cross-border attack in weeks.

The rockets landed in open areas near communities around the Gaza Strip, according to the Israel Defense Forces, which launched a major offensive in northern Gaza aimed at preventing the regrouping of Hamas militants.

The conflict, which began with a Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023 that killed 1,206 people, has led to widespread retaliatory attacks by Israel. More than 43,000 people, mostly civilians, have died in Gaza, according to figures from the Hamas-ruled territory’s Ministry of Health, which the UN considers credible.

The developments clearly show the intensity of the conflict, with both sides carrying out commercial attacks even as international agencies call for humanitarian pauses to provide aid to civilians caught in the crossfire.

With contributions from agencies