What we know about Gaza polio vaccination drive after Israel agrees to 'pauses'

Israel has indicated it will arrange a series of humanitarian pauses in its operations in Gaza to facilitate a vaccination campaign against polio, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Below is a summary of the details announced by Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO's representative in the Palestinian Territories, in a media briefing. 

What we know 

·  The agreement is described as a 'preliminary commitment' by Israel.

·  The WHO, UNICEF, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund and UNRWA, The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East will coordinate the campaign.

·  Israel has agreed to daily nine-hour pauses in fighting between 06:00 and 15:00 local time for the vaccination campaign 

· The campaign will be conducted in three phases in central, southern and northern Gaza. 

·  The "humanitarian pauses" are due to last three days in each area but Israel has agreed a fourth day if required.

· The campaign will start on the September 1, in central Gaza.

· The vaccination campaign aims to cover more than 640,000 children under the age of 10.

· A total of 1.26 million doses of the NoPV2 vaccine had been delivered in Gaza, with another 400,000 still to arrive.

· Over 2,000 health and community outreach personnel have been trained to administer the vaccine.

· Hamas said it supports the "UN humanitarian truce."

· Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the pauses were "not a ceasefire."

· The Israeli military said in July it had begun vaccinating its soldiers against the disease.

· The United States and European Union have voiced concern over polio in Gaza, after the first case there in 25 years was confirmed this month in an unvaccinated 10-month-old baby.

What we don't know 

· There has been no indication about the possible resumption of fighting once vaccination ends at 3pm and begins again the following day at 9am.

· There has been no confirmation if Israeli hostages being held by Hamas will be vaccinated as part of this campaign. Hagai Levine, representing the Hostages Families Forum, has called on health workers to include Israeli hostages in the vaccination campaign

Robert Wood, U.S. deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said it is "vital that this campaign be implemented without delay."

He called on Israel to "facilitate access for agencies carrying out the vaccination campaign, and for it to ensure periods of calm and refrain from military operations during vaccination campaign periods."

Polio virus is highly infectious and most often spread through sewage and contaminated water - an increasingly common problem in Gaza with much of the territory's infrastructure destroyed by Israel in its war against Hamas.

The disease mainly affects children under the age of five. It can cause deformities and paralysis, and is potentially fatal.

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