The Israeli military and Hamas have reached an agreement to implement three separate, zoned three-day pauses in fighting across the Gaza Strip. This temporary halt aims to allow the World Health Organization (WHO) to vaccinate approximately 640,000 children against polio, a WHO official revealed on Thursday.
The vaccination campaign is scheduled to commence on Sunday, starting in central Gaza. Following a three-day pause in that region, the campaign will move to southern Gaza and then to the northern areas, with each zone observing its own three-day cessation of hostilities. WHO’s senior regional official, Rik Peeperkorn, mentioned that the agreement includes a provision to extend the humanitarian pause in each zone by an additional day if required.
This initiative comes after the WHO confirmed the first case of polio-induced paralysis in Gaza in 25 years, detected on August 23. The Israeli military’s humanitarian unit (COGAT) stated that the vaccination effort would be conducted in coordination with the Israeli forces as part of ongoing humanitarian pauses, ensuring safe access to medical centres for the population.