Israel has emphasized the move is not the first step to a cease-fire, but that there would be limited pauses in specific areas to allow for the vaccinations.The New York Times reports that starting this weekend, Israel has agreed to pause military operations in certain areas of Gaza to allow for the distribution of polio vaccinations to approximately 640,000 children under the age of 10. This decision comes after intense pressure from world health authorities to address the emergence of polio in Gaza, which was first detected in wastewater in July.

According to Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization’s top representative in Gaza, the vaccinations will be administered in a staggered schedule, with the first round beginning on Sunday in central Gaza and continuing for three days. During this time, Israel’s offensive will be temporarily suspended from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the designated area. This will be followed by two more three-day pauses in southern and northern Gaza, respectively.

Peeperkorn stated that while this may not be the ideal solution, it is a workable way forward to stop the transmission of polio in Gaza and prevent it from spreading outside of the territory. He emphasized the importance of achieving a 90% vaccination rate to effectively stop the outbreak.

Israeli officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that the government has agreed to limited pauses in fighting in specific areas where the vaccines will be distributed. However, they made it clear that this is not a first step towards a cease-fire and that fighting will continue in other parts of Gaza.

The Israeli prime minister’s office released a statement on Wednesday night clarifying that this is not a cease-fire and emphasizing the limited nature of the agreement. The statement also mentioned that the W.H.O. has secured 1.26 million doses of vaccines from Indonesia to protect recipients from polio according to SEO standards.

The U.N. secretary general, António Guterres, had previously called for a temporary two-week truce for vaccinations on August 16, just hours before the Gaza health authorities confirmed the first case of polio in the area in 25 years. Peeperkorn noted that based on the W.H.O.’s experience with similar campaigns, three days may not be enough to achieve adequate vaccination and stressed the critical need for action to stop the outbreak. 

Source:Read More