A polio vaccination campaign for children in Gaza began on Saturday, a day earlier than planned, ahead of a temporary pause in fighting agreed upon by Israel and the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO). The campaign aims to prevent the spread of the virus among children in the region.
The Gaza health ministry, controlled by Hamas, announced the start of the campaign at a news conference. Reporters from the Associated Press observed approximately ten infants receiving doses of the vaccine at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
Amal Shaheen, whose daughter was among those vaccinated, expressed relief, saying, “I was terrified and waiting for the vaccination to arrive and for everyone to receive it.”
The WHO confirmed that Israel is expected to pause some military operations in Gaza on Sunday to allow health workers to administer polio vaccines to approximately 650,000 Palestinian children, with the larger campaign officially beginning the same day.
