In West Asia, UN agencies in the Gaza Strip have launched an ambitious campaign to vaccinate 640,000 children against polio today. The campaign relies on a series of localised pauses in fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters, with the first window beginning today.

The vaccination campaign began today in areas of central Gaza and will move to other areas in the coming days. During this campaign, war will pause for at least eight hours on three consecutive days.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said at least 90% of children under 10 must be immunised in a short time frame. Last month, WHO confirmed that a baby was partially paralysed by the type 2 polio virus, the first such case in the territory in the last 25 years. UN experts warned that more children may be infected and that there could be a wider regional outbreak if the virus is not dealt with.

In a significant development amid ongoing conflict, Israel’s military and Hamas have also reached an agreement to implement three separate, zone-wise, three-day pauses in fighting across Gaza to facilitate a polio vaccination campaign.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasised that these pauses should not be construed as a ceasefire.