Hopes for Polio Vaccination Pause Amid Ongoing Gaza Conflict
Fighting in Gaza continued on Thursday as residents and aid organizations awaited the possibility of a temporary pause in hostilities to allow a crucial polio vaccination campaign to proceed.
The conflict, which has devastated the region, claimed the lives of at least 34 people as Israeli forces targeted Hamas-led militants across the enclave.
The United Nations (UN) is preparing to vaccinate approximately 640,000 children in Gaza after the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the first case of polio in the territory in 25 years. The type 2 poliovirus has paralyzed the infected child, Abdul-Rahman Abu Al-Jidyan, who turns one year old on September 1.
Juliette Touma, communications director for UNRWA, the UN Palestinian refugee agency, indicated that the vaccination campaign is set to begin on September 1, contingent on a halt in the fighting. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied reports of a general humanitarian truce, stating instead that specific areas in Gaza could be designated for aid operations.
Palestinian families are anxiously waiting for a ceasefire that would allow them to safely vaccinate their children. Abdul-Rahman’s mother, Nivine Abu Al-Jidyan, expressed concern about her son’s future due to a lack of available medical treatment under current conditions. Another mother in Khan Younis, Umm Eliane Bakr, expressed concern about her 19-month-old daughter’s polio vulnerability, which was exacerbated by malnutrition.
Hamas has expressed support for the UN’s call for a humanitarian truce, accusing Israel of attempting to undermine the process.
With input from the Guardian, the Times of Israel and Reuters.
