A Japanese official of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has detailed plans to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of children in the Gaza Strip against polio, potentially in a matter of days.
The World Health Organization said on Thursday that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a series of three-day zonal pauses in fighting starting on Sunday.
Health workers plan to use the period to vaccinate more than 640,000 children, starting in central Gaza and proceeding south and north.
Seita Akihiro told NHK that more than 500 teams are preparing to get the campaign underway.
He says he hopes both sides stick to the pause in fighting to ensure people’s safety.
If the vaccination campaign is successful, Seita says it will demonstrate to both sides that they can realize a ceasefire.