Humanitarian Pauses Agreed in Gaza for Polio Vaccination Campaign

The Israeli military and Hamas have agreed to three-day pauses in Gaza to vaccinate 640,000 children against polio. The campaign will start in central Gaza before moving to southern and northern areas. The humanitarian pause may extend to four days if needed, according to WHO officials.

The Israeli military and Palestinian militant group Hamas have agreed to a series of three-day pauses in fighting in the Gaza Strip to facilitate the vaccination of approximately 640,000 children against polio, a senior WHO official revealed on Thursday.

Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization's senior official for the region, announced that the vaccination campaign will commence on Sunday. Initially, efforts will focus on central Gaza with a three-day ceasefire, followed by another three-day pause in southern Gaza, culminating with northern Gaza. Peeperkorn mentioned that there's an agreement to extend each humanitarian pause to a fourth day if necessary.

The WHO confirmed on August 23 that at least one baby has been paralyzed by the type 2 polio virus, marking the first case in the territory in 25 years. On Wednesday, the Israeli military's humanitarian unit (COGAT) stated the vaccination campaign would be coordinated with the Israeli military as part of routine humanitarian pauses, enabling the population to access medical centers for vaccinations.

(With inputs from agencies.)