UPDATE - 160,000 children vaccinated against polio in southern Gaza: UN agency

UPDATES WITH STATEMENTS FROM UNRWA, OFFICIAL

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) - The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) on Friday announced that its teams vaccinated more than 160,000 children on Thursday, the first day of the second phase of a polio vaccination campaign in southern Gaza.

“Thousands of families went to health facilities to receive vaccines from UNRWA medical teams,” the UN agency said on X.

“Over 160,000 children were reached on the first day of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza southern areas yesterday,” it added.

The UN agency said that it will continue vaccinating “as many children as possible” on Friday.

In a separate statement, UNRWA also said that "UNRWA and partners have vaccinated nearly 355,000 children against polio in Gaza's middle and southern areas since Sept. 1.

"In the next few days, we'll continue rolling out the polio vaccination campaign aiming to reach around 640,000 children under 10 with this critical vaccine," it added.

In an interview with the New York Times, Juliette Touma, director of communications for UNRWA, highlighted the harsh living conditions in Gaza due to forced displacement, with families confined to overcrowded tents and lacking access to clean water and basic necessities.

"The war in Gaza created the conditions for a resurgence of polio," said Touma, noting that displaced people are living in "cramped tents with little access to clean water."

"These are conditions unfit for humans," she said.

The official stated that the initial success of the vaccine campaign reflected a "culture of acceptance around vaccinations that was fostered by Gaza's health care system before the war."

Despite the ongoing Israeli onslaught on the besieged Palestinian enclave, the second phase of the polio vaccination campaign in southern Gaza began on Thursday, after vaccination of over 189,000 children in the central region in the first round.

On Aug. 25, the Palestinian Health Ministry announced the arrival of the first batch of vaccines totaling 1.26 million doses.

The campaign focuses on central Gaza from Sept. 1 to 4, followed by Khan Younis from Sept. 5 to 9 and will conclude in Gaza City and the northern regions from Sept. 9 to 12, according to official sources.

The urgency of the campaign was underscored by the confirmation of Gaza’s first polio case in 25 years in a 10-month-old child last month.

On Aug. 16, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a seven-day humanitarian cease-fire to allow the vaccination of 640,000 children – a request that was supported by UNRWA.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 40,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed and over 94,400 others injured, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of the enclave has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi