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STORY: :: Gaza City, Gaza

The third phase of a delayed polio vaccination campaign in Gaza resumed on Saturday after being derailed by Israeli bombardments, mass displacement and lack of access.

:: November 2, 2024

Families with young children queued for the vaccine at this clinic in Gaza City.

The vaccination campaign began on September 1 after the World Health Organization confirmed that a baby was partially paralyzed by the type 2 polio virus in August.

It was the first such case in the territory in 25 years.

The WHO and the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF said the area covered by the September agreement had been substantially reduced and would now only cover Gaza City.

The final phase of the campaign had aimed to reach an estimated 119,000 children under 10 years old in northern Gaza with a second dose of an oral polio vaccine.

Achieving this target is now unlikely due to constraints on access, according to a statement.

Jamil Ali, the head of the clinic, says the reduced campaign impacts its effectiveness in preventing the spread of the disease.

The Israeli army’s Palestinian civil affairs agency, COGAT, said it was helping to coordinate the three-day campaign. Once complete, it said there would be an assessment to decide whether to extend.