They agreed to pause the implementation of the vaccination program in the wake of a severe polio outbreak in Gaza. Israel to cease fighting in the Gaza Strip for three days.
The World Health Organization reported this information on Friday (August 30). This information was given in a report of the news agency Reuters.
Rick Peppercorn, WHO representative in Palestine, said a three-day Polio vaccination program will begin in central Gaza on September 1. A humanitarian ceasefire will remain in place throughout the vaccination period.
WHO also says that the agreement aims to stop fighting for at least eight hours every day between 6am and 3pm local time in Gaza.
A senior WHO official said on Thursday that Israel’s military and Palestinian fighters had agreed to a three-day ceasefire. At this time, 640,000 children in Gaza will be vaccinated against polio in the first phase.
A severe polio crisis is feared in Gaza due to lack of infrastructure, health care constraints and vaccination shortages. It has even been warned that it could spread to Israel.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian independence organization Hamas welcomed the ceasefire program for vaccination in Gaza.
The organization’s leader, Bassem Naim, told Reuters news agency that Hamas was ready to help international organizations implement the vaccination program.