International Agreement Reached: Israel Consents to Temporary Ceasefire for Polio Vaccinations in Gaza
The Israeli government acknowledged the figures provided by the World Health Organization (WHO). An Israeli representative declared that Israel would observe a sequence of three-day "humanitarian interruptions" in the central, southern, and northern regions of Gaza City beginning Sunday, to facilitate a polio vaccination drive for children.
Earlier, the WHO had advocated for humanitarian truces to enable the administration of the polio vaccine type 2 to approximately 640,000 children under ten years old, starting from late August.
During July, traces of the polio virus were detected in wastewater samples in the southern city of Khan Yunis and the central part of Gaza City, reportedly by both Palestinian and Israeli sources. At the beginning of August, the WHO announced its intention to dispatch over a million doses of polio vaccine to Gaza City. As per Israeli officials, the first batch of vaccines arrived in the region three days prior.
Poliomyelitis is a highly contagious illness that is triggered by a virus which targets the spinal cord, potentially causing irreversible paralysis in young individuals. Unfortunately, there is no remedy for polio. However, immunization is instrumental in halting its propagation.
The World Health Organization (WHO) urged WHO for humanitarian truces to allow the vaccination of children, as the WHO identified polio virus traces in Khan Yunis and Gaza City. The Israeli government, acknowledging WHO's data, agreed to facilitate a polio vaccination drive by implementing three-day "humanitarian interruptions" in Gaza City.
