CAIRO/GAZA. As the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues to rage, the United Nations, in partnership with Palestinian health authorities, has initiated a crucial polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip. The campaign, which aims to vaccinate 640,000 children, began on Sunday and was made possible by a series of brief pauses in the 11-month-long war agreed upon by both Israel and Hamas.
This urgent campaign comes on the heels of a confirmed case of polio in the region—the first in 25 years. Last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that a baby had been partially paralyzed by the type 2 polio virus, highlighting the critical need for immediate action.
The vaccination drive commenced in central Gaza and will progressively move to other areas over the coming days. The fighting is set to pause for at least eight hours on three consecutive days to allow the campaign to proceed. However, WHO officials noted that these pauses might need to extend to a fourth day, with the first round of vaccinations expected to take just under two weeks.
Children, accompanied by their families, crowded a UN-run clinic in Deir Al-Balah, where around one million people are currently taking refuge. Medical staff marked children who received the vaccine with ink on their fingers as a precautionary measure.
“I came to the UNRWA clinic today to vaccinate my daughters against polio, and God willing, we won’t see any more diseases beyond those we are already facing. I hope we will return to our homes safe and sound,” said Gaza resident Afnan Al-Muqayyad.
Al-Muqayyad, like many others, expressed concerns beyond polio, citing the spread of skin diseases, the high cost of detergents, and the rising prices of food. “Everything is expensive, and the children’s weight is dropping—they were fine before, but now they’re becoming very thin. I hope God will set things straight,” she added.
A Complex Campaign Underway
Juliette Touma, communications director of UNRWA, described the vaccination campaign as “one of the most complex in the world.” She emphasized the urgency of the situation, saying, “Today is test time for parties to the conflict to respect these area pauses to allow the UNRWA teams and other medical workers to reach children with these very precious two drops. It’s a race against time.”
Despite the ongoing hostilities, both Israel and Hamas have agreed to cooperate to ensure the success of the vaccination campaign. WHO officials stressed the importance of vaccinating at least 90% of the children twice, with a four-week interval between doses, for the campaign to be effective. However, they acknowledged the immense challenges posed by the ongoing conflict, which has left much of Gaza in ruins.
“Children continue to be exposed—it knows no borders, checkpoints, or lines of fighting. Every child must be vaccinated in Gaza and Israel to curb the risks of this vicious disease spreading,” Touma warned.
Meanwhile, the conflict shows no signs of abating. Israeli forces continued their operations against Hamas militants across several areas of Gaza, with reports of house demolitions in Rafah and ongoing tank operations in the northern Gaza City suburb of Zeitoun.
In a separate development on Sunday, Israeli forces recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in southern Gaza, where they were found shortly before Israeli troops arrived. The ongoing war, which was sparked by a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 that killed 1,200 people and resulted in over 250 hostages being taken, has led to the deaths of at least 40,691 Palestinians and injured 94,060 more, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
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.
