WHO confirms Israel has agreed to ‘humanitarian pauses’ in Gaza for polio campaign

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Tedros welcomes ‘compromise’ but calls for ceasefire in Palestinian enclave

29 (EUROPA PRESS)

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed Thursday that Israeli authorities have agreed to establish “humanitarian pauses” for the polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip, which is set to begin this Sunday.

The WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, Rik Peeperkorn, has detailed in a press conference that they have agreed “humanitarian pauses” for the three zones of Gaza with the Israeli authorities, mainly with the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).

Specifically, a “humanitarian pause” of nine days in total will be established, with three days for each zone: the centre, the south and the north, although an additional day could be added per zone if necessary. Peeperkorn has indicated that the cessation of fighting will take place between 6:00 and 15:00 (local time).

“Trust is a big word, but we are reasonably in agreement with this approach,” he stressed, adding, however, that although it is not “the ideal path” it is “viable” if all parties stick to what has been agreed.

For his part, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has welcomed the “commitment” reached to establish “humanitarian pauses” in specific areas and the “suspension of evacuation orders for the implementation of the campaign.”

“But the only lasting medicine is peace. The only way to fully protect all the children of Gaza is a ceasefire,” he stressed on the social network X, referring to the negotiations for a definitive cessation of hostilities in the enclave.

The United Nations hopes to vaccinate 640,000 children under the age of 10 with two doses, with each round achieving at least 90 percent coverage. The campaign will involve staff from WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

The Ministry of Health of the Gazan government, controlled by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), confirmed on Sunday that more than 1.2 million polio vaccines had arrived in the Palestinian enclave. Another 400,000 doses will be sent in the coming days.

WHO has confirmed a case of polio in a 10-month-old baby in the Palestinian enclave, the first such case to be confirmed in 25 years. The poliovirus was detected in environmental samples from Khan Yunis and Deir el-Balah.