AN ISRAELI drone strike on a clinic in northern Gaza, where children were being vaccinated for polio, has wounded six people — including four children.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the attack occurred early Saturday afternoon in northern Gaza, which has been sounded by Israeli forces and largely isolated for the past year.

Gaza Health Ministry director general Dr Munir al-Boursh said that a quadcopter struck the Sheikh Radwan clinic in Gaza City, just a few minutes after a United Nations delegation left the facility.

The Strip recorded its first case of polio for 25 years in August, 10 months into Israel’s war on Gaza.

Israel denied responsibility for Saturday’s attack, but its military frequently targets medical sites by claiming Hamas uses them for operations.

Palestinian health officials have denied the claims and Israel has not provided evidence.

WHO and United Nations children’s agency Unicef, which are jointly carrying out the polio vaccination campaign, expressed concern over the strike.

Unicef spokeswoman Rosalia Bollen said: “The reports of this attack are even more disturbing as the Sheikh Radwan Clinic is one of the health points where parents can get their children vaccinated.

“Today’s attack occurred while the humanitarian pause was still in effect, despite assurances given that the pause would be respected from 6am to 4pm.”

The vaccination campaign was expected to resume yesterday.

Hundreds of people have been killed in recent weeks in the north and tens of thousands displaced.

In a report last month, a UN investigation commission determined that “Israel has implemented a concerted policy to destroy the health care system of Gaza.”

It described Israeli actions at hospitals as “collective punishment against the Palestinians in Gaza.”

Witnesses have said that there have been at least four occasions when Israeli drones or snipers killed or badly wounded Palestinians trying to enter Al-Awda Hospital, nearby Jabalia refugee camp.

Two women about to give birth were shot and bled to death in the street, staff said.

UN humanitarian co-ordinator Muhannad Hadi said that two patients at the Indonesian Hospital died following a recent artillery fire by Israel due to a power outage and a lack of supplies.

Tamer al-Kurd, a nurse at the region’s largest hospital, said around 44 patients and only two doctors remain.

He said he was so dehydrated he was starting to hallucinate.