Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas agreed to suspend fighting from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day for nine days from the 1st to the 9th. As the war between the two sides, which broke out on October 7th last year, has been prolonged, the polio vaccination in the Gaza Strip has become difficult due to the aftermath, and as a result, patients have been increasing recently, so they agreed to a ‘temporary ceasefire’. Vaccinations have already begun in some areas of Gaza since the 31st of last month.
However, Israeli forces continue to attack the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by Hamas, and the West Bank, which is ruled by the Palestinian Authority (PA). The continuous fighting between the two sides has resulted in casualties in both places.
The Israeli military announced on the 31st of last month that six bodies recovered from an underground tunnel near Rafah in southern Gaza were hostages kidnapped by Hamas on the day the war broke out. One of them was identified as 23-year-old American Hershey Goldberg-Pauline (23). The other five were also civilians kidnapped from the Nova music festival venue and the Beeri Kibbutz near Gaza.
● ‘Temporary ceasefire’ to vaccinate 640,000 people
According to AP and other news agencies, the polio vaccination led by the UN is targeting 640,000 children under the age of 10. In Gaza, the fear of polio has recently become a reality, with the first confirmed case of polio in 25 years occurring on the 16th of last month.
The UN said that children under the age of 10 who have already been vaccinated are also eligible for vaccination. It was recently revealed that a confirmed patient was infected with a variant virus, so even those who have been vaccinated cannot be at ease.
The polio virus is highly contagious and can be transmitted through contaminated water, etc. Also, if the vaccination period is missed, there is no treatment once symptoms appear. Unvaccinated children in the Gaza Strip, where the health system has virtually collapsed due to the prolonged war and sanitary conditions have also deteriorated, are bound to be vulnerable.
It has been reported that the ceasefire for vaccinations was achieved through strong pressure from the Joe Biden administration in the United States. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that US Secretary of State Tony Blinken strongly requested this when he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on the 19th of last month. This is interpreted as a move to be mindful of non-white voters in the US who oppose the pro-Israel policies of the Biden administration ahead of the US presidential election in November.
However, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s side repeatedly drew the line, saying, “This is not a full ceasefire.” On the 31st, the Prime Minister’s Office announced, “We will select areas where vaccinations can be administered and only allow access for those involved in vaccinations.”
● Israel Continues Attacks on Gaza and West Bank
The actual fighting between the two sides is ongoing. On the same day, Israeli forces attacked the area around Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, killing at least three people and wounding dozens.
In addition, Israel has been deploying ground troops to the West Bank, where anti-Israeli sentiment is relatively weak, for five days from the 28th to the 1st of last month to conduct an ‘anti-terrorist operation’. It is the largest operation in the West Bank since the outbreak of the war. In particular, on the 30th of last month, Israel surrounded the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, where at least 11,000 people live, and cut off the electricity and water supply and imposed a curfew. Jenin is the place where anti-Israeli armed groups are most active in the West Bank.
At least 26 Palestinians were killed in the fighting between the two sides in the West Bank. According to Al Jazeera and others, among the dead was an 83-year-old man who was shot dead by Israeli snipers while out shopping for groceries. One Israeli soldier and three police officers were also killed.
Meanwhile, the internal conflict in Israel surrounding the bodies of six Hamas hostages found in a tunnel near Rafah is also intensifying. In particular, the families of the hostages have strongly protested, saying that the hostages were sacrificed because the Netanyahu government was not active in the rescue. There are claims that Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is forming a coalition with a far-right party that opposes the ceasefire and is the first sitting prime minister to be criminally tried for personal corruption, is being passive about the ceasefire in order to extend his political life. Many analyze that the recent expansion of the front line into the West Bank is also an intention of the Netanyahu government to strengthen its coalition with the far-right party.
According to CNN, Israeli forces have managed to rescue only eight hostages since the war began. Hostage families believe that at least 33 of the 97 hostages who were unable to be freed are dead.
Reporter Lee Ji-yoon [email protected]
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2024-09-02 05:17:27