WHO announces limited pauses in Gaza fighting to allow for polio vaccinations

It comes after a baby contracted the first confirmed case in 25 years in the Palestinian territory.

Displaced infant Abdel-Rahman Abu El-Jedian, 11-month-old, who suffers from polio, is carried by his mother, centre, at a makeshift tent camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip

The United Nations’ World Health Organisation has announced that there will be limited pauses in fighting in Gaza to allow for polio vaccinations for hundreds of thousands of children.

It comes after a baby contracted the first confirmed case in 25 years in the Palestinian territory.

Described as “humanitarian pauses” that will last three days in different areas of the war-ravaged territory, the vaccination campaign will start on Sunday in central Gaza, said Rik Peeperkorn, World Health Organisation representative in the Palestinian territories.

Displaced children sort through trash at a street in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)

That will be followed by another three-day pause in southern Gaza and then another in northern Gaza.

He thinks they might need additional days to complete the vaccinations.

Mr Peeperkorn says they aim to vaccinate 640,000 children under 10 and that the campaign has has been co-ordinated with Israeli authorities.

“I’m not going to say this is the ideal way forward. But this is a workable way forward,” Mr Peeperkorn said of the humanitarian pauses.

Later, he added: “It will happen and should happen because we have an agreement.”

These humanitarian pauses are not a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that talks mediators the US, Egypt and Qatar have long been seeking, including in talks that are ongoing this week.

Displaced infant Abdel-Rahman Abu El-Jedian, who suffers from polio, sleeps at a makeshift tent camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)

An Israeli official said there is expected to be some sort of tactical pause to allow vaccinations to take place.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan has not been finalised.

The Israeli army has previously announced limited pauses in limited areas to allow international humanitarian operations.

The Who said health workers need to vaccinate at least 90% of children in Gaza to stop the transmission of polio.

The campaign comes after 10-month-old Abdel-Rahman Abu El-Jedian was partially paralysed by a mutated strain of the virus that vaccinated people shed in their waste.

The baby boy was not vaccinated because he was born just before October 7, when Hamas militants attacked Israel and Israel launched a retaliatory offensive on Gaza.

He is one of hundreds of thousands of children who missed vaccinations because of the fighting between Israel and Hamas.