Ongoing Fighting in Gaza Threatens Second Round of Polio Vaccination – Global Issues
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 08 (IPS) – In the past two months, the polio epidemic in Gaza has been reduced slightly thanks to the response efforts of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN). The first round of the polio vaccination campaign was very successful, with about 506,000 children vaccinated. If the Israeli authorities allow the humanitarian pause, the second round is expected to begin on October 14. However, health officials are concerned that this will be more difficult than expected due to the continuation of deadly attacks in the past few weeks.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reported that three schools in Gaza were attacked last Wednesday and Thursday, resulting in the injury of more than 20 people.
It has been one year since the terrorist attacks of Hamas in Israel, which killed more than 1250 people and kidnapped 250 people. Israel’s retaliation against Hamas has led to an ongoing war in the Gaza Strip that has jeopardized the ability of health and humanitarian programs to support Palestinian citizens.
This year, the Israeli army launched two airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, targeting a mosque and a school shelter. These targets were described by the Israel Defense Force (IDF) as “command and control centers” of Hamas terrorists, however, no proof of this was provided. According to the health ministry in Gaza, more than 26 civilians were killed in this attack.
On October 6, a group of warplanes sent by the IDF attacked the Jabalia refugee camp, killing at least 19 people. The Palestinian Civil Defense Agency added that the death toll included 9 children. Israel also launched a campaign to encircle the refugee camp, saying the area was being used as “weapons storage facilities, underground infrastructure sites, terrorist cells, and additional areas of military infrastructure”.
A few hours later, the IDF ordered that all residents of Northern Gaza should flee southward as the entire northern part of the enclave is now considered an evacuation zone and may be bombed. Leaflets were dropped at the site, stating that the order preceded “a new phase of the war”. “People left their homes this morning, and they don’t know where they are going, carrying simple things. There is no transportation”, said Abu Alaa Asaf, a resident of Beit Lahiya, a city in Northern Gaza.
Another evacuation order was issued in Southern Gaza at the weekend, saying residents should move to designated areas in al-Mawasi, which is considered a “safe” area during the conflict. On Saturday, Israeli authorities announced that the safe zone would be expanded, and the exits from Salah al-Din Road and the Al-Rashid coastal road would be opened for use by Northern Gazans. According to the IDF, this increase includes “field hospitals that have been established since the outbreak of war, tent compounds, and supplies of food, water, medicine and medical equipment.”
Many residents from northern Gaza have expressed reluctance to move after the new evacuation orders. Many of these sentiments come from residents who were evicted from the Jabalia camp, which has been targeted several times over the past year. Mohammed Ibrahim, a resident of Jabalia, told the media, “I, along with my two sons, live in Jabalia and I will not go anywhere. There is no safe place in Gaza, and death is the same here or there”.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reiterated its concern for children affected by the conflict. The Al-Baraka shelter in al-Mawasi currently houses more than 400 families and has been described as a “city of orphans”. “The number of children served here is only a small fraction of the sea of orphaned children in Gaza who need protection. The number of unprotected orphans in Gaza is now between 17,000 and 18,000, many of whom are not accompanied by any family members”, said UNICEF.
In response to the recent attacks on Gaza, French President Emmanuel Macron ordered a halt to arms transfers to Israel. On France Inter radio, Macron said: “What is important is to return to a political solution, to stop bringing weapons of war to Gaza”. He added that the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and the tense situation in Lebanon are of great concern. However, despite the arms embargo, Macron reiterated France’s support for Israel and its security.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Macron’s order “disgraceful”, saying that any nation that does not support Israel supports Iran and its allies. US President Joe Biden also expressed his displeasure with Netanyahu, saying that Israel is “not doing enough” to make the abduction agreement and the cease-fire agreement possible.
Netanyahu denied reports of a pending cease-fire agreement shortly after US officials indicated that the agreements were 90 percent complete. “Hamas does not have an agreement. There is no agreement, unfortunately,” Netanyahu said.
The WHO fears that the uncertainty of the ceasefire agreement puts thousands of Palestinians at risk of succumbing to the polio epidemic. The upcoming second round of the vaccination campaign will prove crucial, as 90 percent immunity is needed to prevent the resurgence of the virus in Gaza. The WHO, the UN, and the Palestinian Ministry of Health are currently in the process of negotiating an aid freeze with the IDF. If approved, the second round of vaccination efforts is expected to end on October 29.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
