The Israeli military’s expanded ground operations in recent weeks have pushed palestinians out of large swathes of previously designated safe zones, crowding them into smaller and smaller slivers of land.
As a result, more than 2 million people in the enclave are now crammed in an area of 15 square miles (39kms), reports the Wall Street Journal.
The overcrowding, on top of inadequate aid, is “choking survival”, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Twelve killed in Gaza this morning
Israeli attacks throughout Gaza have already killed 12 people this morning, according to medical sources cited by the workers at Al Jazeera Arabic.
As we’ve been reporting, most of the casualties have been reported in or around the areas of Khan Younis, Nuseirat and Deir el-Balah. One person was also killed by an air strike in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood.
UN to begin polio vaccination drive soon
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, says it will begin vaccinating Gaza’s children at the end of the month.
This news comes after Gaza recorded its first case of polio last week causing fears of an outbreak of a disease that had long been brought under control.
UNRWA says that it is equipped to carry out this vaccination drive as Gaza’s largest primary healthcare provider and that it will use both its healthcare centres and mobile clinics.