WHO: Agreement on Humanitarian Pause

Israel and Hamas have agreed on a three-day humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza to allow for polio vaccinations, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

» Updated: August 30 2024

» Published: August 29 2024

WHO: Agreement on Humanitarian Pause
Photo: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP/TT

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Vaccination will begin on September 1 and will last for three days in central Gaza, according to the World Health Organization's representative for the Palestinian territories, Rik Peeperkorn.

Also in southern and northern Gaza

Vaccination will also cover southern and northern Gaza, each of which will have its own three-day pause. Israel has agreed to allow an additional day for vaccination if needed, according to Peeperkorn.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously emphasized that a temporary humanitarian pause in the fighting is not a first step towards a ceasefire.

"This is not a ceasefire," said the Prime Minister in a statement via his office, where it was emphasized that an agreement for polio vaccination is limited.

Terror-listed Hamas says it welcomes the "UN humanitarian ceasefire", reports AFP.

The pause is welcomed

A humanitarian pause in the fighting is welcomed by EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell.

Let us hope it is not too late. Let us hope that this drop of hope in a sea of despair can save lives, said Borrell at a press conference after Thursday's EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels.

Both the US and EU have expressed concern over polio in Gaza, after the first case in 25 years was confirmed this month in an unvaccinated 10-month-old baby.

The UN agency has said it plans to give oral vaccines against poliovirus to more than 640,000 children in the area.

Poliovirus is highly contagious and spreads mostly through sewage and contaminated water – a increasingly common problem in Gaza where a large part of the infrastructure has been destroyed in the war.

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By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

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