UN Prepares Polio Vaccination Campaign in Gaza Amid Disruptive Evacuation Orders
As the United Nations gears up to launch a critical polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip, a UN humanitarian worker has reported that repeated evacuation orders from the Israeli military have severely hampered the humanitarian response in the region, CBS News reports.
Louise Wateridge, a UN humanitarian worker in Gaza, said that humanitarian operations are being disrupted as aid workers are forced to relocate due to the Israeli military’s ongoing orders.
“If the humanitarians are having to move themselves, they’re not able to work. Operations have to halt while they relocate,” she told BBC News.
Wateridge revealed that UNRWA, the UN agency responsible for providing primary health care in Gaza, has been instructed to evacuate its facilities at least 15 times during August — averaging an order to evacuate once every two days.
“There are health centers, schools sheltering people, headquarters buildings, and distribution centers that we have to evacuate,” Wateridge explained. “Lives are being lost, people are not receiving aid. It’s just a complete disaster for us trying to do our jobs on the ground.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that they were actively dismantling terrorist infrastructure in central Gaza, alleging that Hamas operates from locations such as schools and hospitals, which complicates the military operations.
Simultaneously, the population of Gaza has been pushed into an increasingly restricted humanitarian zone designated by Israeli military forces. The UN has stated that the latest evacuation orders have reduced the designated area for humanitarian aid to around 11% of the total size of the Gaza Strip.
Polio, a highly infectious disease that predominantly affects young children, can result in lifelong paralysis. UNICEF confirmed last week the first case of polio in Gaza in 25 years, of 10-month-old child who has reportedly become paralyzed in one leg but is in stable condition.
In response to the health crisis, the UN is preparing to vaccinate some 95% of children in Gaza under the age of 10. A UN official said that the vaccination campaign was set to commence on Saturday, with the first batch of vaccines having arrived in the enclave.
