CAIRO/GAZA. Palestinians in Gaza are anxiously awaiting a possible pause in ongoing conflict to allow a critical polio vaccination campaign to commence, as fighting continues to ravage the besieged enclave. The violence has already claimed at least 34 lives, and with the World Health Organization (WHO) confirming Gaza’s first case of type 2 poliovirus in 25 years, the urgency for vaccinations has escalated.
The United Nations is preparing to vaccinate approximately 640,000 children in Gaza, following the WHO’s confirmation on August 23 that a baby, Abdul-Rahman Abu Al-Jidyan, has been paralyzed by the virus. The vaccination campaign is set to begin on September 1, pending a possible truce, according to Juliette Touma, communications director of UNRWA, the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency.
Abdul-Rahman’s mother, Nivine Abu Al-Jidyan, expressed her despair, stating, “I was shocked that my son got this disease amid the war and the closure of border crossings… Would he remain like this?” She emphasized the dire conditions her son faces in Deir Al-Balah, lamenting, “It is unfair that he stays thrown in the tent without care or attention.”
In southern Gaza, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Umm Eliane Bakr shared her fears that her 19-month-old daughter, weakened by malnutrition, may also be at risk of contracting polio. “I need a truce, a ceasefire so I can give my daughter this injection,” she said, highlighting the danger of moving in an area under constant threat of Israeli strikes.
Despite international calls for a humanitarian truce, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied reports that Israel is considering a general ceasefire to facilitate the vaccination campaign. Instead, he stated that only limited locations in Gaza would be allocated for such activities, not a full cessation of hostilities.
Meanwhile, senior Hamas official Izzat El-Reshiq has reiterated the group’s support for the U.N. and international organizations’ call for an urgent humanitarian truce, criticizing Netanyahu’s stance as an attempt to undermine the vaccination efforts.
As the September 1 vaccination deadline approaches, the people of Gaza remain in a precarious situation, hoping for a ceasefire that will allow them to protect their children from a preventable but devastating disease.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
