UNICEF has announced the arrival of 1.2 million doses of vital polio vaccines in Gaza amid urgent calls for humanitarian pauses to reach hundreds of thousands of at-risk children.

More than 640,000 children are targeted to receive the polio type two (nOPV) vaccines, UNICEF said in a post on X on Monday.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), the UN’s main agency assisting Palestine refugees (UNRWA) and other partners aim to coordinate to reach the unvaccinated as the war grinds on against the backdrop of multiple civilian displacements.

The Israeli government agency COGAT said vaccine shipments had arrived in Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing.

It added that the vaccination campaign will be conducted in coordination with the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) as part of “routine” humanitarian pauses.

Gaza has been in the grip of an ongoing war following the  October 7 terror attacks in 2023 by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in southern Israel.

More than 40,000 people have lost their lives in the enclave, according to the Strip’s health ministry, and critical infrastructure, including schools-turned-displacement shelters, hospitals and clinics, has been destroyed.

A case of polio was confirmed in Gaza last week in a 10-month-old child.

It was the first such instance of a lifelong crippling disease in over 25 years.

Though there is no cure, vaccines against the disease can protect a child for life.

The child had developed paralysis in the lower left leg and is reported to be in a stable condition.

“Polio will not make the distinction between Palestinian and Israeli children,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said, highlighting the need for urgent pause in fighting to mitigate the risk of spread of the disease.

He reiterated the call on Monday, stressing that UN agencies and partners “stand ready to vaccinate children, but need a humanitarian pause”.

Meanwhile, the plight of civilians in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip continues unabated.

According to UNRWA, due to ongoing military operations in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza only three of the area’s 18 water wells remain functional, resulting in an 85 per cent water shortfall.

“Not only are people in Gaza in constant fear for their lives, but they struggle to meet even their most basic needs,” the agency said.

The risk of other deadly infectious diseases also remains high with water and sanitation systems disrupted across the enclave, including at hospitals, WHO  warned.

Its effort to mitigate the threat continues.

The agency recently provided hospitals in north and south Gaza with a range of critical medical supplies, including anaesthesia and analgesic drugs, to cover the needs of around 44,500 patients.

Some 200 ICU beds were also delivered to Gaza and are expected to support at least five health facilities in expanding bed capacity, the agency added in a separate post.

(NAN)