Massive Polio Vaccination Campaign Launched in Gaza Amid Conflict

The Palestinian health authorities and UN agencies have initiated a large-scale polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip to prevent a potential outbreak amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The initiative targets approximately 640,000 children, beginning in central Gaza before expanding to the northern and southern regions.

Palestinian health authorities, in collaboration with United Nations agencies, began a comprehensive polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip on Sunday. The initiative aims to prevent a potential outbreak as the region wrestles with the devastating effects of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The campaign, which started subtly with a smaller number of vaccinations on Saturday, will focus on children in central Gaza until Wednesday and then expand to include the more severely affected northern and southern parts of the strip. The goal is to vaccinate approximately 640,000 children.

The World Health Organisation has reported that Israel has agreed to permit brief pauses in the conflict to ensure the campaign's success. Hospitals in Deir al-Balah and Nuseirat confirmed on Sunday that the vaccinations had commenced.

(With inputs from agencies.)