Hamas and the Israeli military both agreed to multiple three-day pauses in the war in Gaza so health officials can vaccinate some 640,000 children against polio, the World Health Organization said Thursday.
The mass vaccination campaign is set to begin on Sunday in central Gaza for three days, with both sides agreeing to a halt in combat in the region until the next phase, said Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO senior official for that region.
The vaccination effort will then move to southern Gaza for another three days, with the final, three-day tour scheduled in the north.
Israeli and Hamas officials agreed to extend the cease-fire in the respective regions for a fourth day, or more, if needed.
“We are ready to cooperate with international organizations to secure this campaign, serving and protecting… Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip,” Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters.
The vaccination effort comes after the WHO confirmed last week that at least one infant had been paralyzed by the type 2 polio virus — the first case in the Palestinian enclave in 25 years.
Since the war broke out on Oct. 7, Gaza’s polio vaccine coverage dropped to about 80%, with Peeperkorn explaining that at least more than 90% is needed to stop the outbreak from spreading.
The Israeli military’s humanitarian unit, COGAT, said the vaccination campaign will be coordinated with the IDF “as part of the routine humanitarian pauses that will allow the population to reach the medical centers where the vaccinations will be administered.”
Israel had coordinated the entry of about 25,100 vials of the polio vaccine earlier this week through the Kerem Shalom Crossing — more than enough to inoculate 1.25 million people.
Polio, which has been wiped out in most of the world, mostly affects children under five years old, with the virus capable of causing irreversible paralysis and even death.
The highly infectious virus has no cure and can only be prevented by immunization, according to the WHO.
The pause in fighting comes as Israel and Hamas have yet to agree on a proposed cease-fire deal to temporarily halt the fighting across Gaza and free the remaining hostages.
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