UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. World Health Organization announced Thursday that there will be limited pauses in fighting in Gaza to allow for polio vaccinations for hundreds of thousands of children after a baby contracted the first confirmed case in 25 years in the Palestinian territory.
Described as “humanitarian pauses” that will last three days in different areas of the war-ravaged territory, the vaccination campaign will start Sunday in central Gaza, said Rik Peeperkorn, World Health Organization representative in the Palestinian territories.
That will be followed by another three-day pause in southern Gaza and then another in northern Gaza. He thinks they might need additional days to complete the vaccinations.
Peeperkorn says they aim to vaccinate 640,000 children under 10 and that the campaign has has been coordinated with Israeli authorities.
Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press
