WHO says its deal with Israel will allow limited pauses in Gaza fighting for polio vaccinations

WHO reaches agreement with Israel for polio vaccinations in Gaza, targeting 640,000 children amid ongoing conflict.

The U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday (August 30, 2024) that it has reached an agreement with Israel for limited pauses in fighting in Gaza to allow for polio vaccinations for hundreds of thousands of children after a baby contracted the first confirmed case in 25 years in the Palestinian territory.

“The vaccination campaign will start on Sunday in central Gaza, with a “humanitarian pause” lasting from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m. for three days that can be extended by an additional day if needed,” Rik Peeperkorn, WHO’s representative in the Palestinian territories, said.

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“The effort — which has been coordinated with Israeli authorities — will then move to southern Gaza and finally northern Gaza for similar pauses,” he told a U.N. press conference by video from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

“I’m not going to say this is the ideal way forward. But this is a workable way forward,” Mr. Peeperkorn said. The vaccination campaign is targeting 6,40,000 children under 10, who will each receive two drops of oral polio vaccine in two rounds — the second to be given four weeks after the first.

Mr. Peeperkorn said the humanitarian pauses are critical so families can bring their children to get vaccinated and get back to where they are staying by 3 p.m. “We have an agreement on that, so we expect that all parties will stick to that,” he said.

War-battered Gaza faces uphill battle against polio