**”Successful Ceasefires in Gaza”: Polio Vaccination Campaign Continues**
Three days into the polio vaccination campaign in the devastated Gaza Strip, the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that it has surpassed its vaccination goals.
Rick Peppercorn, the WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, stated that over 161,000 children under the age of ten were vaccinated in the central region during the first two days of the campaign, exceeding the initial target of 150,000 children.
**”We Have 10 Days Left”**
In a press conference on Tuesday, Peppercorn said, “So far, things are going well.” He also confirmed that “humanitarian ceasefires have been successful so far,” adding that “we still have 10 days remaining.”
The vaccination campaign began on August 31 in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, followed by Khan Younis, Gaza City, and then the northern Gaza Strip.
**First Polio Case**
This campaign follows the emergence of the first polio case in Gaza, affecting a ten-month-old child in Deir al-Balah. The virus was detected in water samples collected at the end of June in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, marking its return to the Palestinian territories after a 25-year absence.
This prompted health organizations and the United Nations to issue warnings about the severity of the situation, calling for humanitarian ceasefires in the region to allow for vaccination. Subsequently, Israel agreed to a partial ceasefire for three days in each targeted vaccination area.
The United Nations has sent 1.2 million doses of oral polio vaccine—rather than injections—to the Gaza Strip, which has been suffering from dire humanitarian conditions and a suffocating blockade since the outbreak of the Israeli war on October 7, following an attack by Hamas on Israeli settlements and military bases near Gaza.
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By/radwa sherif ✏️✏️📚