Several children in Gaza have been given polio vaccines a day before a large-scale campaign to inoculate children against the virus and a planned pause in fighting in the besieged territory, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.
Reporters from The Associated Press news agency saw roughly 10 infants receiving doses of vaccine in the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Saturday afternoon.
“I was terrified and waiting for the vaccination to arrive and for everyone to receive it,” said Amal Shaheen, whose daughter received a dose.
The WHO has confirmed that the official larger rollout of the vaccine will begin on Sunday.
The three-day vaccination campaign aims to reach some 640,000 Palestinian children and comes after the first polio case in 25 years in Gaza was discovered this month.
Reporting from Deir-el Balah, media’s Hani Mahmoud said the rollout was set to begin in central Gaza on Sunday.
“The other days will be in Khan Younis and the last rollout will be in the northern part of the Strip,” Mahmoud added.
Israel has agreed to pause its military offensive in Gaza to allow health workers to administer the vaccines, UN officials have said.
Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the Palestinian territory, said on Thursday that the three pauses will take place from 6am to 3pm (03:00 to 12:00 GMT) and last for three days each in different areas of Gaza, beginning on Sunday. The pauses are unrelated to the continuing ceasefire negotiations.
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