The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that its polio vaccination campaign in the northern Gaza Strip has been postponed due to intense bombardments and lack of a humanitarian pause in the fighting.
The decision came amid concerns about the spread of polio in Gaza due to poor hygiene.
The WHO says it administered a first dose of polio vaccines to local children in the first half of September.
The second round had been underway since mid-October. The organization planned to start the second round in the northern part on Wednesday, to cover about 119,000 children.
But it says, “The current conditions, including ongoing attacks on civilian infrastructure continue to jeopardize people’s safety and movement in northern Gaza, making it impossible for families to safely bring their children for vaccination, and health workers to operate.”
The WHO says humanitarian pauses in the fighting are essential because the second round of jabs should be given within six weeks of the first.