The Israeli authorities have agreed to implement a series of “humanitarian pauses” in the war, each lasting three days, in the central, southern, and northern Gaza Strip to begin a polio vaccination campaign for children on Sunday.
“What we discussed and agreed upon is that the campaign will begin on September 1 in the central Gaza Strip, will last for three days, and there will be humanitarian pauses” for several hours each day, said Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO representative in Gaza.
Due to damaged roads and displaced populations, UN services may require an additional day for each zone. The agreement allows for extending the humanitarian pause if needed. Each ceasefire period will be from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In August, the WHO confirmed the first case of polio in Gaza in 25 years, after an infant was paralyzed by the virus.
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last night that there will not be a ceasefire but rather designated areas within the Gaza Strip for a few hours to carry out the vaccination.
The UN had requested seven-day humanitarian pauses for each of the two phases of the vaccination campaign. The goal is to vaccinate 640,000 children under the age of 10.
The second dose of the vaccine will be administered within the next four weeks after the first dose.
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