According to information released by humanitarian aid organizations this Friday (1st), the third phase of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza will begin this Saturday (2). The launch of this phase was delayed by Israeli bombings, mass displacement and lack of access.
The polio campaign began on September 1, after the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed in August that a baby was partially paralyzed by the type 2 polio virus, the first case in the territory in 25 years.
The humanitarian pause for the campaign had already been discussed, but the WHO and Unicef said that the area covered by the agreement was reduced in relation to the pause in September and would now only cover Gaza City.
The final phase of the campaign aimed to give the second dose of the new type 2 polio vaccine (nOPV2) to approximately 119,000 children under the age of 10 in northern Gaza. However, it is possible that this goal will not be achieved due to access restrictions, according to the statement.
Cogat, the Israeli army’s Palestinian civil affairs agency, said it was helping to coordinate the three-day campaign and that, once completed, there would be an assessment to decide whether the schedule would be extended.
“This coordination will ensure that the population safely reaches the medical centers where the vaccines will be administered,” declared the Agency.
Understand the conflict in the Gaza Strip
Israel has carried out intense airstrikes in the Gaza Strip since last year, after Hamas invaded the country and killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli counts. Furthermore, the radical group holds dozens of hostages.
The Israeli operation killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave’s Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas.
Hamas does not recognize Israel as a state and claims Israeli territory for Palestine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly promised to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and recover people detained in Gaza.
In addition to the air offensive, the Israeli Army carries out land incursions into Palestinian territory. This caused much of Gaza’s population to be displaced.
The UN and several humanitarian institutions have warned of a catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, with a lack of food, medicine and the spread of diseases.
About a year into the conflict, the Israeli population took to the streets in protests against Netanyahu, accusing the prime minister of failing to reach a ceasefire agreement so the hostages could be released.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by the Israeli Army on October 16, in the city of Rafah.
This content was originally published in Polio vaccination in Gaza will resume this Saturday (2), agencies say on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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