UPDATE - Polio vaccination campaign in Gaza continues amid Israeli bombardment

UPDATES WITH REMARKS FROM WHO CHIEF, CHANGES HEADLINE

By Mohammad Sio, Beyza Binnur Donmez

GAZA CITY, Palestine/GENEVA (AA) – A polio vaccination campaign for children under the age of 10 continued for the second day in the central Gaza Strip on Monday amid a deadly Israeli offensive on the enclave.

On the first day of the campaign, teams from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and their partners successfully vaccinated approximately 87,000 children, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

“Efforts are ongoing to provide children with this key vaccine,” UNRWA said in a statement, emphasizing the urgent need for a cease-fire to ensure the safety and well-being of the population.

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.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday that he admires the courage and determination of the families, vaccinators and health workers involved in the campaign.

"We call on all parties to continue fulfilling their commitment on the humanitarian pauses, so that all children in need get the vaccine," Tedros urged in a statement on X.

He stressed that this vaccine campaign demonstrates that peace is essential for health.

On August 16, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a seven-day humanitarian truce to allow for a polio vaccination campaign targeting 640,000 children. This call was supported by UNRWA.

The request followed the Palestinian Health Ministry’s announcement of the first confirmed polio case in Gaza, affecting a ten-month-old child.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in over 40,700 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 94,100 injuries, according to local health authorities.

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

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.