North Gaza's Last Polio Vaccination Push Amid Fuel Shortages and Conflict

A campaign to vaccinate 200,000 children against polio in north Gaza faces significant challenges, including restricted access, evacuation orders, and fuel shortages. Despite these hurdles, 446,000 children in central and south Gaza have already been vaccinated. The endeavor began due to a confirmed polio case in the territory.

A campaign to vaccinate 200,000 children in north Gaza against polio commenced on Tuesday, despite complications from access restrictions, evacuation orders, and fuel shortages. Health and aid officials acknowledge the operation's complexities.

Vaccination efforts in north Gaza, the area most devastated by Israel's 11-month military offensive against Hamas, follow the inoculation of over 446,000 children in central and south Gaza earlier this month.

Medical staff in the north continue administering vaccines despite the shortage of fuel, among other challenges, said Dr. Moussa Abed of Gaza's health ministry. Sam Rose, a U.N. agency deputy director, noted that vaccination centers are militarily active, isolated, and hard to reach.

Israel halted a convoy that included fuel and WHO staff bound for Gaza's Al Shifa hospital, resulting in an aborted mission, the WHO's Tarik Jasarevic reported. Israel also issued an evacuation order for areas involved in humanitarian pauses for the vaccinations.

Mahmoud Shalabi of Medical Aid for Palestinians explained the difficulty in accessing centralized services in the south, including fuel for mobile vaccination units. The campaign's first round aims to conclude soon, with a second round planned for next month.

The campaign started on Sept. 1, following a confirmed polio case in a baby last month, the first such case in 25 years. Israel's military campaign began on Oct. 7 last year following a Hamas incursion. The conflict has claimed over 40,900 Palestinian lives and turned much of Gaza into rubble.

(With inputs from agencies.)