WHO says Israel has agreed to limited ‘humanitarian pauses’ to allow for Gaza polio vaccine drive

The World Health Organization (WHO) has “a preliminary commitment for area specific humanitarian pauses” in fighting in the Gaza Strip to allow for a polio vaccination campaign to be carried out, a senior WHO official says.

The United Nations is preparing to vaccinate an estimated 640,000 children in Gaza, where the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on August 23 that at least one baby has been paralyzed by the type 2 polio virus, the first such case in the territory in 25 years.

Described as “humanitarian pauses” that will last three days in different areas of the war-ravaged territory, the vaccination campaign will start Sunday in central Gaza, says Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the Palestinian territories.

The IDF did not immediately comment. Amid the war, the military has frequently announced “tactical pauses” in military activity in certain areas to enable the delivery and distribution of humanitarian aid.

Earlier this week, Israel said it delivered 25,100 vials of the polio vaccine to Gaza via the Kerem Shalom Crossing, enough to inoculate 1,255,000 people, just over half of the Strip’s population.