Gaza pauses fighting for polio vaccination amid WHO effort
Israel and Hamas have agreed to three separate pauses in the fighting in Gaza, divided by zones, over the course of three days, to facilitate the vaccination of 640,000 children against polio.
The vaccination campaign is scheduled to begin on Sunday, with the pauses set to take place between 06:00 and 15:00, according to Rik Peeperkorn, the chief official of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Palestinian territories, as reported by Reuters.
Peeperkorn stated that the campaign will commence in the central Gaza Strip, with three consecutive daily pauses in the fighting, before moving to the southern Gaza Strip for another three-day pause, and finally to the northern Gaza Strip. He added that there is an agreement to extend the pause in each area to a fourth day if necessary.
"From our experience, we know that an additional one or two days are often needed to achieve sufficient coverage," said Mike Ryan, WHO’s Director of Emergency Situations, during a meeting on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
A second round of vaccinations would be necessary four weeks after the first round, Peeperkorn noted.
"At least 90% coverage is required during each round of the campaign to stop the outbreak and prevent the international spread of polio," Ryan stated.
WHO confirmed on August 23 that a newborn was paralyzed by the type 2 poliovirus, marking the first such case in Gaza in 25 years.
"We are ready to cooperate with international organisations to ensure this campaign, serving and protecting more than 650,000 Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip," said Hamas official Basem Naim.
The conflict erupted in October 2023 when militants led by Hamas infiltrated southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 250 hostages.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
