Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst.

With Israeli tanks reported to be pushing deeper into Central and Southern Gaza, the UN

says conditions are worsening, more than a week after the UN Security Council called for the unhindered

delivery of aid.

And the World Health Organization says it's concerned about the growing threat of infectious

disease in Gaza.

And Piers Jason DeRose reports,

the health care system is overwhelmed.

So many people are living in such squalid conditions

packed into makeshift camps that disease and illness are spreading quickly.

According to the World Health Organization, from mid-October to mid-December,

nearly 180,000 people in Gaza shelters were suffering from respiratory infections.

It also says there are more than 55,000 cases of licensed scabies and more than 5,000 cases of

chicken pox. The WHO says people are also experiencing diarrhea,

rashes, jaundice, and even meningitis. Meanwhile, UNICEF says it was able to deliver 600,000 vaccines to Gaza this week.

Jason DeRose, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

Special Counsel Jack Smith is urging a federal appeals court to reject former President Donald Trump's claims

that he is immune from prosecution. In a brief file today Smith says the idea that

Trump cannot be held accountable for crimes in office, quote,

threatens the Democratic and constitutional foundation of the country.

The filing was submitted ahead of arguments next month on the legally untested question of whether a former president can be prosecuted

for acts taken while in the White House.

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