Polio vaccination campaign in Gaza is in full swing – Global Issues

In Gaza: Health groups are under attack

The northern Gaza polio vaccination campaign began on Saturday and is scheduled to continue until Monday, with UN agencies and partners venturing into the devastated north while a humanitarian pause was agreed to ensure the safety of civilians and aid workers.

The goal is to reach more than 100,000 children with the final dose of the vaccine to ensure that the crippling virus does not spread to the Strip or the region. Ended 25 years ago, polio re-emerged earlier this year as the ongoing war in Gaza destroyed health conditions and services.

This weekend, amid unprecedented operational and security challenges, more than 58,600 children received a second dose of polio vaccine on Saturday, reported the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) working in Israel-controlled Gaza.

Those challenges continued on Sunday as the year-long war continued in Gaza, with the latest death toll surpassing 43,000 since the October 7, 2023, deadly attack by Hamas in Israel that sparked the conflict.

“This has already been a very dangerous weekend of attacks on people in northern Gaza,” UNICEF chief Catherine Russell said in a statement released late Saturday.

‘There is still time to end this war’

Only 48 hours ago, Mrs. Russell said that it was reported that more than 50 children were killed in Jabalia, where strikes hit two residential buildings sheltering hundreds of people, and a polio vaccination center in northern Gaza, injuring six people, including them. four children.

In addition, he said “the personal car of a UNICEF worker working on a polio vaccination campaign was attacked by what we believe to be a quadcopter while driving in Jabalia-Elnazla”, damaging the car but leaving the worker unharmed.

“The attacks on Jabalia, the vaccination clinic and the UNICEF workers are still examples of the negative consequences of the indiscriminate strikes affecting the residents of the Gaza Strip,” he said, calling on Israel to conduct an immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attacks. a member of staff of a UN agency and that steps are taken to hold accountable those found guilty.

“UNICEF also calls on Member States to use their powers to ensure respect for international law, prioritizing the protection of children,” she said. “It is past time to end this war.”

Second year out of school

The head of the UN organization for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said on Sunday that children are losing the second year of school due to the devastating war that continues in Gaza.

The agency, which serves 5.9 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, is facing a ban from Israel, whose parliament passed two laws last week that would end UNRWA’s critical efforts in the entire Palestinian territory occupied by Israel – Gaza and the West Bank. Bank.

Mr. Lazzarini recalled that children and their education are not included in any discussions when “experts” or politicians talk about replacing UNRWA.

“If there is no effective government, there is nothing else [to UNRWA],” he said in a social media post. “Until October last year, UNRWA provided education to more than 300,000 boys and girls in Gaza. In the West Bank, about 50,000 children go to our schools.”

‘Millions of lives will hang in the balance’

UNRWA is the only UN agency that directly provides education in UN schools, he said, noting that “our schools are the only education system in the region that includes a human rights program and follows the values ​​and standards of the United Nations.”

Disbanding UNRWA if there is no viable alternative will deprive Palestinian children of their future education, the UN official said, adding that without education, children “slide into desperation, poverty and over-reinforcement”.

“Without UNRWA, the fate of millions of people will hang in the balance,” he continued. “Instead of focusing on blocking UNRWA or finding other ways, the focus should be on reaching an agreement to end this conflict. This is the only way to prioritize the return to school of hundreds of thousands of children, currently living in the slums. It is time for us to put children and their future first.”

Lebanon: Civilians bear the brunt of airstrikes

The bombing of Lebanon was reported by the UN agencies on the ground on Sunday.

An Israeli airstrike near the Burj Shemali camp in southern Lebanon damaged one of the UNRWA schools, the UN agency said.

The UN’s aid coordination office, OCHA, said the country “is facing a humanitarian crisis as the incessant attacks take a heavy toll”.

Civilians are bearing the brunt of the escalating violence, OCHA said on Sunday, adding that the growing needs require more donations to help partners save lives.

UN agencies have been bringing support to ordinary people. As of late September, it has distributed, among other things, 4.4 million meals, 121,500 food parcels and 1.4 million liters of bottled water to affected people.

Efforts also included the delivery of 447,000 liters of fuel to water pumping stations to continue working.

Find more information on the situation in Lebanon and the UN’s response to the latest OCHA update here.

Syria: Cross-border influx from Lebanon

As the war continues in Lebanon, the UN refugee agency has reported a worsening and dire situation on the border with Syria, where thousands of people are pouring in as they flee to seek safety amid frequent Israeli airstrikes.

“Our teams at the Syria-Lebanon borders continue to report a very serious situation,” UNHCR said in a social media post on Sunday.

More than 71 percent arrived in Syria, according to UNHCR.

“Many told us that they sold what little they had to pay for the journey back home,” said the UN agency, which is providing aid.

UNHCR teams are now working at the border, providing emergency aid, including food and water.

The teams also provide legal aid and transport services to the most vulnerable people.

However, the needs are great, and more money is needed, says UNCHR.

Find out more about the UN agency’s work in Syria here.

Yemen: New water ‘lifeline’ launched

The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), launched an important water project on Sunday.

The project aims to improve sanitation services for more than 185,000 people in Ma’rib, including communities that host large numbers of displaced people.

The 12-month program aims to provide critical sanitation and hygiene assistance through improved facilities and strengthening waste management capacity, promoting safe, healthy living conditions and building long-term resilience in communities most affected by the ongoing conflict in Yemen, according to Abdusattor Esoev, of the IOM . chief of mission in the country.

“This project is useful for the people of Ma’rib, who are facing the challenging conditions of Yemen,” he said.

“With hundreds of thousands struggling to access basic sanitation, this program provides immediate relief while laying the foundation for sustainable and community-led solutions, he said.

As the area with the largest number of displaced Yemenis, Ma’rib has become Yemen’s largest internally displaced population center, sheltering nearly 1.6 million people who have fled conflict, insecurity and deteriorating living conditions across the country. Once a state of 350,000 people, Ma’rib’s population has now grown to more than two million, placing great strain on its infrastructure and basic services.

“By providing essential support, we are not only meeting urgent needs but also helping communities regain a sense of dignity, security and stability,” said Mr. Esoev of IOM.

The Al Jufainah area alone, the largest in Yemen, hosts more than 73,000 people, many of whom rely on foreign aid to meet their basic needs.