TEL AVIV (Sputnik) – The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied reports of an alleged complete ceasefire in the Gaza Strip for the purpose of vaccinating the population against polio, noting that limited zones will be allocated for safe vaccination for a short period.
“Reports about a general ceasefire in order to administer polio vaccines in Gaza are false. Israel will allow a humanitarian corridor only, through which vaccination personnel may pass; designated safe areas will also be established for administering the vaccines during certain hours,” the statement says.
The Prime Minister’s Office added that Israel attached great importance to preventing a polio outbreak in the Gaza Strip, including with the aim of preventing the spread of epidemics throughout the region.
Polio reemerged in Gaza after being eradicated for 25 years following Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, which has damaged or destroyed every hospital in the enclave. Water treatment and desalination facilities have also been targeted and destroyed by Israeli forces, forcing Palestinians to rely on contaminated water to survive. In July, six out of seven sewage samples taken in Gaza tested positive for polio.
The first case confirmed case was a 10-month old baby who had paralysis of a leg. Polio is highly contagious and medical professionals warned it could spread outside of Gaza. They suspect thousands of Palestinians have already been exposed to the virus. Israel has been vaccinating their soldiers against polio for weeks.
Israel continued its airstrikes on Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 61 people in the Gaza strip according to local health authorities. Another 22 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank since Wednesday, when Israel launched a siege of the refugee camps and towns in Jenin, Nablus, Tubas and Tulkarem.
