UNITED NATIONS, Nov 8 (IPS) – On November 6, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the second round of polio vaccinations has been completed in Gaza. A total of 556,744 children under 10 years of age were vaccinated with mOPV2 vaccine along with one dose of vitamin A to ensure immunization. But the campaign has not been entirely successful due to widespread hostilities by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and humanitarian groups fear herd immunity will not be achieved.
At a United Nations press briefing, Secretary-General Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters that the campaign had been relatively successful despite the numerous access challenges faced by aid workers. About 103% of children in central Gaza have been vaccinated, meaning more children in the region have been vaccinated than expected. 91% of children in southern Gaza have been vaccinated.
However, the northern Gaza Strip has been a cause of great concern for humanitarian groups due to frequent access problems and hostilities since September. Preliminary UN data shows that only 88% of children in the region have been vaccinated.
figures According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), there are approximately 7,000 to 10,000 unvaccinated children in Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun districts.
According to press release According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, at least 90% immunization is needed during each campaign to effectively stop the outbreak in Gaza and prevent an international resurgence of polio. Gaza’s weak health, water and sanitation systems make civilians particularly vulnerable to the spread of disease.
Vaccination efforts were significantly hampered by the escalation of hostilities in Gaza just days before the second round of vaccinations were due to be completed. Although the campaign in central and southern Gaza went relatively smoothly, vaccination efforts were significantly hampered by hostilities in northern Gaza days before the second round of vaccinations were completed.
On November 2, the IDF launched an airstrike on a medical center in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City. WHO reported that six civilians, including four children, were injured in the attack.
“This attack during a humanitarian shutdown jeopardizes the sanctity of children’s health protection and could prevent parents from bringing their children for vaccination. This humanitarian-specific disruption must be absolutely respected,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. said the doctor. WHO Director-General name Published on X (formerly Twitter).
Attacks on Gaza continued even after the humanitarian pause designated for the vaccination campaign was lifted. Recently passed legislation by the Knesset is worsening the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as the United Nations Relief and Action Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) will no longer be able to play a pivotal role in providing aid.
Ongoing Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip have killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, decimated entire neighborhoods and left areas in the north of the country such as Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun virtually uninhabitable.
at press release WHO described the situation in northern Gaza as “apocalyptic.” It added that dozens of school shelters had been targeted or evacuated by the IDF. Tents were burned and refugees were shot. Injured civilians were rushed to barely functioning medical centers, disrupting life-saving services and destroying essential supplies and equipment.
Additionally, millions of people have been displaced from their homes, making Gaza one of the largest refugee crises in the world. On October 5, IDF Brigadier General Itzik Cohen informed reporters that civilians in northern Gaza would not be allowed to return home. Cohen noted that allowing Gaza residents to return there would complicate security efforts because troops have entered certain areas, such as the Jabalia camp, twice. He added that routine humanitarian aid deliveries would be allowed in the southern and central Gaza Strip, but not in the northern regions. Because, as he claimed, “there are no civilians left.”
UNRWA’s absence in Gaza is expected to be keenly felt by the estimated two million people struggling to survive.
“This decision (Israel’s bill to ban UNRWA) will further weaken the international community’s ability to provide sufficient humanitarian assistance and save lives in a safe, independent and fair manner. Israel is bombing and maiming Palestinians. and starvation, and now Israel is systematically dismantling the Gaza Strip, a land where Palestinians can govern and live,” said Sally Khalil, Oxfam Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
On November 6, UNRWA Secretary-General Philippe Lazzarini said: Solved The United Nations General Assembly has called on the United Nations to block implementation of Israel’s two most recent laws.
“Without member states’ intervention, UNRWA will collapse and leave millions of Palestinians in disarray,” Lazzarini said. “First, I call on Member States to act to prevent the implementation of legislation on UNRWA. Second, I call on Member States to ensure that any plans for political transition specify the role of UNRWA. Finally, , I call on Member States to maintain funding for UNRWA and not withhold or divert funds on the assumption that the agency will no longer operate.”
Lazzarini reminded the General Assembly of the harm suffered by UNRWA and its staff during the crisis. 239 UNRWA personnel were killed, and more than two-thirds of UNRWA facilities were damaged or destroyed. Lazzarini called for an investigation into these violations of international humanitarian law.
The cost of funding UNRWA during this transition period is expected to be enormous. But dismantling UNRWA would be particularly costly. The UN is seeking more than $1.2 billion in funding to support more than 1.7 million people facing extreme situations through an emergency appeal. With the recent UNRWA ban, these costs are estimated to be much higher. It is important that donor contributions continue as humanitarian assistance remains blocked in northern Gaza. The situation is expected to worsen as the harsh winter approaches.
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