- Temporary truce in Gaza facilitates polio immunizations
While the Israeli military conducts a major campaign against Palestinian militants in the West Bank, temporary truces are being arranged in Gaza for mass immunizations of thousands of children against polio. As per the United Nations, Israel has consented to daily restricted truces beginning on Sunday.
Following gunfire directed at a UN vehicle, the United States is putting pressure on Israel. During a UN Security Council meeting, the U.S. deputy ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, stated that Israel has attributed the incident to a misunderstanding between its forces.
Polio vaccinations are scheduled for Gaza
The discovery of polio viruses in sewage prompted the United Nations to immunize around 640,000 children under ten in the Gaza Strip. For three consecutive days, fighting will be put on hold in three sections of the fortified coastal region, starting this Sunday, as per the World Health Organization's representative, Rik Peeperkorn. He cited the commitment of the Israeli authority responsible for Palestinian affairs, COGAT.
Following an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed hope, stating, "Let's hope it's not too late. Let's hope this ray of hope in the midst of despair can save lives and prevent the tragedy of children contracting polio." The organization of relatives of Israeli hostages held by Hamas urged the WHO to vaccinate the abducted children as well.
Polio is a contagious, fatal disease that can lead to permanent paralysis, particularly in young children. Currently, there is no cure.
The United States increases pressure on Israel after a UN vehicle is fired upon
After a UN vehicle was fired upon on Tuesday, the United Nations demanded explanations from Israel. The clearly marked vehicle was part of a humanitarian convoy whose journey had been coordinated with the Israeli army. It was reportedly hit ten times by Israeli forces. "We have called on them to immediately address the issues within their system that allowed this to happen," said Wood.
However, such incidents are "still all too frequent" nearly eleven months into this conflict, he stated in New York. He also called for an end to the hostile rhetoric from Israel against the UN and humanitarian workers.
Meanwhile, the EU is considering imposing sanctions on Israeli government ministers for the first time. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell proposed sanctions against right-wing finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir at an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels.
They are accused of human rights violations and incitement to hatred. Ben-Gvir has recently called for aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip to be halted as a means to pressure the Islamic Hamas to surrender. Smotrich expressed similar views, stating that a possible blockade of humanitarian aid until all Israeli hostages are released would be morally justified, even if it results in the deaths of two million people in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, Smotrich acknowledged that the international community would not allow such action.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has concluded its operation in the Faraa refugee camp in the northern West Bank, according to official Israeli statements. The military has not yet disclosed when it will cease its operations against Palestinian militants in the cities of Jenin and Tulkarem. According to Israeli media reports, the operation could last several days. So far, at least 16 people have been killed, as per Palestinian and Israeli reports. Israel initiated the large-scale operation in the early hours of Wednesday.
At least 16 Killed in the West Bank
An Israeli army spokesman justified the action by citing the surge in attacks on Israeli civilians. At the same time, the violence by extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied Palestinian territory has also increased. The situation has significantly deteriorated since the beginning of the Gaza conflict following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. Since then, at least 640 Palestinians have lost their lives in Israeli military operations, encounters, or their own attacks, according to the health ministry in the West Bank.
Israel's Current Large-Scale Operation
According to military analysts, Israel's current large-scale operation carries strategic risks for Israel, as reported by the "Wall Street Journal". Israel's military forces are heavily burdened by the nearly eleven-month-long conflict against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the conflict with the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. Israel's military is heavily reliant on reservists who are exhausted from Israel's longest war in decades. The West Bank poses a potential third front for Israel's overstretched military, in addition to Gaza and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
Israel's Defense Minister Proposes Expansion of War Aims
Meanwhile, Israel's Defense Minister Joav Galant stated, with regard to the situation on the border with Lebanon, that it is necessary to expand the war aims. "We must ensure the safe return of the northern communities to their homes. To achieve this goal, we must expand the aims of the war," he said during strategic consultations with military officials. "This will not diminish our absolute commitment to the destruction of Hamas and the return of the hostages," Galant's office said.
After renewed shelling by Hezbollah, the Israeli air force targeted several rocket launchers of the militia overnight, as the Israeli army announced in the early morning. A projectile fired from Lebanon into Israel landed in open territory. No injuries were reported. The other projectiles did not enter Israeli territory. This could not be independently verified.
Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah have been involved in almost daily skirmishes since the beginning of the Gaza conflict. Around 150,000 people on both sides of the border have been forced to flee their homes as a result. The Shiite militia claims it is acting in solidarity with Hamas. Israel wants Hezbollah to withdraw behind the Litani River, 30 kilometers from the border, as stipulated by a UN resolution.
In light of the UN's demand for explanations after a UN vehicle was fired upon, the United States is urging Israel to address the incident and prevent such occurrences in the future. Recognizing the importance of the polio immunization campaign, the organization of relatives of Israeli hostages held by Hamas also requests that the abducted children be vaccinated.
