At least 40 killed, more than 60 wounded in Israeli attack on Gaza tent camp
Al-Mawasi: At least 40 people have been killed and more than 60 injured in an Israeli attack on a tent encampment for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza, the enclave's civil emergency service said on Tuesday.
The civil emergency service reported that the strike in al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis caused severe destruction, igniting at least 20 tents and creating craters up to nine metres deep, as mentioned by Reuters. The camp, heavily overcrowded with displaced Palestinians, was struck despite its designation as a humanitarian zone.
According to the news agency, residents mentioned that ambulances raced between the tent camp and a nearby hospital, while Israeli jets could still be heard overhead.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it struck “significant Hamas terrorists” who had been operating at a command and control centre embedded inside the humanitarian area in Khan Younis.
However, Hamas has strongly disputed these claims by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and accused them of lying to justify their crimes. "The resistance has denied several times that any of its members exist within civilian gatherings or are using these places for military purposes," Hamas stated.
Footage circulating on social media showed deep craters at the site of the attack, the strewn ruins around it covered in shredded tents, a bicycle and other debris. Rescue workers used shovels to shift through the sand. Bystanders used their hands to dig, illuminated by mobile phone light. At least one crater at the site looked to be as deep as 10 metres.
Mawasi is an area 1 kilometre wide and 14 kilometres long. Palestinians who fled other areas have crowded into the sandy beach area against the Mediterranean Sea after Israel told them it would be safe. However, aid groups have struggled to provide care there among a sea of tents crowded with the belongings families were able to carry away with them when fleeing their homes.
The war has caused vast destruction and displaced around 90 per cent of Gaza's population of 2.3 million, often multiple times.
Gaza's Health Ministry says over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
