Israel agrees to Gaza war pauses for polio vaccination starting Sept. 1 after baby partially paralyzed

CAIRO – August 30, 2024: Israel has consented to brief halts in its war on Gaza to facilitate polio immunizations for more than 640,000 children under the age of ten, as announced by the UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday.

Rik Peeperkorn, WHO's representative for the occupied Palestinian Territory, revealed that the vaccination drive will kick off on Sunday, September 1, and will be executed in three-day phases, commencing with central Gaza and progressing to south and then north Gaza.

During a press briefing on Thursday, he mentioned that the pause will span from 6 AM to 3 PM for three days, with the possibility of extension for an additional day if required.

During each round of the campaign, the Palestinian Ministry of Health, in collaboration with WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) and partners will administer two drops of novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2).

This initiative follows the case of 10-month-old Abdel Rahman Abu El-Jedian, who was partially paralyzed by a mutated strain of polio, marking the first confirmed instance in 25 years within the Palestinian territory.

Abdel-Rahman missed his vaccination as he was born shortly before October 7, when Israel initiated its relentless assault on the strip, resulting in the loss of over 40,600 lives and injuries to more than 93,800 individuals.

Over nearly 11 months, the war in Gaza has decimated a significant portion of the enclave's infrastructure, including health facilities, and has pushed Gaza perilously close to famine.

Hamas has embraced the UN's proposal of intermittent pauses for polio vaccinations, expressing willingness to collaborate with international bodies to execute the campaign.

The Gaza health ministry, in partnership with WHO, UNICEF, and UNRWA, has extended an invitation to cover the launch conference of the vaccination campaign, slated for Saturday at 11:00 AM local time at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis.

The event will feature speeches from WHO, UNICEF, and health ministry representatives, followed by the campaign's commencement in the children’s department at the complex, according to the ministry.

This campaign unfolds against a backdrop of intensified mediation by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States between Hamas and Israel to secure a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange, with successive rounds of discussions in Cairo and Doha.

Simultaneously, the war in Gaza persists amidst escalating regional tensions, notably in light of recent Israeli offensives in Lebanon and Iran, killing Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut and Hamas political bureau leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.

Earlier this week, Lebanon's Hezbollah announced the completion of the "first phase" of retaliatory strikes against Israel, deploying drones and launching hundreds of Katyusha rockets at 11 Israeli military installations.

Iran, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hamas have all pledged reprisals against Israel, raising fears of a full-scale conflict across the region.