Gaza 'Polio Pauses' Likely in Coming Days

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Facts

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that parts of Gaza may see a temporary truce so that aid agencies can undertake a polio vaccination campaign but denied reports that a general truce would take place.^[1]
• The UN wants to vaccinate an estimated 640K children in Gaza, as the World Health Organization (WHO) announced last week that at least one baby has been paralyzed due to the disease. The UN hopes to begin the vaccination campaign on Sept. 1.^[2]
• The WHO said on Thursday that Israel had agreed to limited 'humanitarian pauses' to help facilitate the vaccination campaign. The pauses will reportedly last three days in different areas of the strip, starting in central Gaza.^[3]
• A Hamas spokesperson said that the group had agreed to the pauses, adding that Israel must agree to the campaign without 'deceptions, delays, or changing the sites for administrating' the vaccines.^[4]
• The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) said on Wednesday that it had halted the movement of its staff in Gaza after they came under fire near an Israeli checkpoint.^[5]
• The WFP reported that two of its armored vehicles were returning from a mission escorting humanitarian aid before being shot at near the Wadi Gaza bridge. At least 10 bullets hit the vehicle, with several of them striking the driver’s side window.^[6][5]

Sources: ^[1]Guardian, ^[2]Reuters, ^[3]Timesofisrael, ^[4]i24NEWS, ^[5]BBC News and ^[6]CNN.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by New York Times. Humanitarian pauses will be necessary to ensure that Gaza's children are protected from polio. Both sides need to respect a temporary truce so that health workers can administer vaccines effectively. Israel has worked with the US and humanitarian agencies to help make this process smoother.
• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by ISRAEL HAYOM. Though Israel is committed to its war goals and the release of all hostages, a polio outbreak in Gaza would be a disaster for both Palestinians and Israelis. Israel has not accepted a cease-fire or a temporary truce that applies to all of Gaza, as the agreement stipulates that specific areas will see a cessation of hostilities.
• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Al Jazeera. The US has consistently failed to address Israel's intransigence regarding the situation in Gaza. Allowing for a vaccination campaign is the bare minimum in terms of reducing the suffering of Palestinians who are still facing Israel's genocidal war. Indeed, it is still unclear if this vaccination campaign will even be successful.