Israel agrees to pause fighting in Gaza for polio vaccination, says UN official

Since the war, Gaza’s near-universal polio vaccine coverage has dropped to just over 80%, potentially endangering thousands of children.

Israel has agreed to a series of pauses in fighting in Gaza, to allow young children in the enclave to be vaccinated for polio, according to United Nations officials. Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization’s representative for the West Bank and Gaza, told a press briefing from a video link Thursday that the pause would start September 1 and will be split into three phases. “We have a preliminary commitment for area-specific humanitarian pauses during the campaign,” he said, adding that the pauses will roll out first in “central Gaza for three days, followed by south Gaza and then followed by north Gaza.” Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, said the militant group welcomed the push for a pause in Gaza to implement the vaccination drive. “We are ready to cooperate with international organizations to secure this campaign,” he added. Since the war, Gaza’s near-universal polio vaccine coverage has dropped to just over 80%. The resurgence of the virus – eliminated in most of the developed world – highlights the struggles facing Gaza’s two million residents, who have lived under Israeli bombardment since October last year. Many people in the enclave are deprived of food, medical supplies and clean water, with up to 90% of the population internally displaced.