The United Nations is set to begin vaccinating around 640,000 children in Gaza against polio, relying on daily eight-hour pauses in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. This campaign targets children under 10 after a recent case of paralysis caused by the type 2 polio virus, the first in Gaza in 25 years. For the campaign to be successful, at least 90% of the children need to be vaccinated twice, with a four-week gap between doses. However, the campaign faces significant challenges due to the extensive destruction in Gaza from 11 months of war.
The vaccination drive will take place in three phases across central, southern, and northern Gaza, with fighting pausing for eight hours on three consecutive days in each area. The pauses might extend to a fourth day if necessary, meaning each round could take nearly two weeks. However, these pauses are limited to smaller areas within each zone, as per a map reportedly from COGAT
Read more: Gaza’s Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis: The Toll of Conflict and Despair
The pauses in fighting are not part of the broader ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, which have been ongoing for months and involve discussions about a halt in the fighting and the exchange of prisoners. The WHO official overseeing the campaign emphasized the feasibility of the vaccination effort if all logistical elements align.
