World Health Organization Reports Pause in Gaza War for Polio Vaccination

The World Health Organization announced that the parties involved in the Gaza war have agreed to short pauses in the conflict to implement polio vaccination across the Gaza Strip. Rick Piepkerkorn, a senior WHO official in the Palestinian territories, stated on Thursday, September 8, that the Israeli army and Hamas militants agreed to three separate pauses, each lasting three days, for the polio vaccination campaign. The extremist group Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by the US and Israel. According to this WHO official, the vaccination program for 640,000 children will begin on Sunday, September 11, in the central Gaza Strip and will then be carried out in the southern and northern parts of the enclave during the subsequent pauses. The vaccination program will take place during the pause days from 6 AM to 3 PM, and it has been agreed that if necessary, the pause could extend to a fourth day in any region. Last week, the WHO reported the death of an infant due to the polio virus, marking the first case in Gaza in 25 years. Meanwhile, Robert Wood, the US Deputy Ambassador to the UN, announced that Washington has asked Israel to refrain from evacuation orders in the meantime. Oren Marmurstein, a spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, emphasized in a message on X that Israel continues to work closely with the WHO and UNICEF to provide assistance to Gaza and coordinate the polio vaccination efforts. Basem Naeem, an official from the Hamas group, also told Reuters that the group is ready to cooperate with international organizations in this regard. Meanwhile, Tedros Adhanom, the Director-General of the WHO, welcomed the recent agreement for a pause and the start of vaccinations, stating: 'But the only lasting medicine is peace. The only way to fully protect all children in Gaza is a ceasefire.' On Thursday, Washington also announced that Israel informed them that the shooting at a vehicle carrying World Food Program aid was due to a 'communication error' between Israeli military units. Robert Wood, during a UN Security Council meeting, added: 'We have asked them to rectify this system issue as soon as possible. Israel must not only take responsibility for its mistakes but also take specific actions to ensure that the Israeli army will not shoot at UN personnel again.' The shooting at the World Food Program vehicle occurred on Wednesday, and the UN agency temporarily halted its operations across Gaza following the incident. According to the agency, at least 10 bullets struck one of the aid vehicles near an Israeli military checkpoint, but no injuries were reported. The current crisis in Gaza began after the Hamas group's incursion into Israeli territory on October 7 of last year, which resulted in about 1,200 deaths and over 250 hostages. In response to this incursion, Israel launched a military operation across the Gaza Strip, which, according to officials under Hamas, has so far resulted in over 40,000 deaths.