Israel Agrees to Pause Gaza Operations for Polio Vaccination Campaign

Israel has consented to temporarily pause certain military operations in the Gaza Strip to facilitate a polio vaccination campaign, according to a senior State Department official. This development comes amidst the ongoing conflict that began in early October 2023, nearly 11 months ago.

Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement carefully worded to avoid explicitly acknowledging a humanitarian pause. Instead, it referred to "the allocation of certain places in the Gaza Strip" for unspecified purposes, an arrangement approved by the security cabinet.

The vaccination campaign was strongly advocated for by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his meeting with Netanyahu in Israel last week. This push came after international health officials confirmed a case of poliovirus in Gaza, where healthcare services have been severely disrupted since the conflict's onset.

Polio, a highly infectious viral disease primarily affecting children under 5, can cause paralysis and death. The last reported case in Gaza was approximately 25 years ago, around 1999. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, launched in 1988, has made significant progress, with wild poliovirus remaining endemic in only two countries as of 2024: Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Sunday that polio vaccines for over a million people have been delivered to Gaza in specially refrigerated trucks, coordinated with the United Nations. The World Health Organization and UNICEF are prepared to begin widespread vaccinations once safety conditions are met.

However, aid delivery in Gaza faces significant challenges. The World Food Program (WFP) has temporarily suspended its staff movement in the area following an incident where a clearly marked WFP vehicle came under fire near an IDF checkpoint on Tuesday evening. The vehicle sustained multiple bullet impacts, though no employees were physically harmed.

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General António Guterres, stated that the United Nations has filed a formal complaint with Israeli authorities regarding the shooting. The incident has raised concerns about the effectiveness of deconfliction procedures for humanitarian vehicles in Gaza.

Cindy McCain, head of WFP, described the shooting as "totally unacceptable" and called for a functioning deconfliction system in Gaza. This incident follows a tragic event in April 2024 when seven World Central Kitchen workers were killed in a mistaken attack on a marked vehicle.

As efforts continue to implement the vaccination campaign and address humanitarian concerns, the situation in Gaza remains complex and challenging. The successful delivery of polio vaccines represents a crucial step in preventing the spread of this dangerous disease in a region already grappling with severe healthcare disruptions.

"We have repeatedly asked for a functioning deconfliction system in Gaza, and yet the current arrangements have failed."