UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday urgently called for a humanitarian pause in the Gaza conflict to facilitate a crucial polio vaccination campaign.

Guterres said that while the “ultimate vaccine for polio is peace and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” a pause to safely vaccinate children was a “must” for the people of Gaza. He added, “Polio goes beyond politics, it transcends all divisions … It is our shared obligation to come together [and] mobilize- not to fight people, but to fight polio.”

Guterres’ call for a humanitarian pause was echoed by global health agencies, which stressed the need for at least seven days of ceasefire to allow for the safe administration of vaccines. The pause would enable children and families to access health facilities and allow health workers to operate in safety.

In July 2024, the polio virus was found in sewage samples in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, with three suspected cases of acute flaccid paralysis reported among children. Just hours after Guterres’ appeal, the first polio case was confirmed in an unvaccinated 10-month-old child in Gaza. The virus, which can cause irreversible paralysis, poses a grave threat not only to the children of Gaza but also to neighboring regions if it continues to spread unchecked.

The UN, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, plans to launch a two-phase vaccination campaign by the end of August. The campaign aims to vaccinate over 640,000 children under the age of 10, with more than 1.6 million doses of the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) already approved for delivery. Guterres stated, “Given the wholesale devastation in Gaza, at least 95 per cent vaccination coverage will be needed during each round of the two-round campaign to prevent polio’s spread and reduce its emergence.” However, these efforts hinge on a temporary cessation of hostilities.

The situation in Gaza has been deteriorating rapidly, with most of the enclave’s healthcare facilities either destroyed or severely damaged due to continuous bombardments. Polio is just one of many health crises plaguing Gaza. With only 16 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals partially functioning, and wastewater treatment plants destroyed, the population is facing a surge in respiratory infections, diarrhea, scabies and other diseases. Guterres described Gaza as being in “a humanitarian freefall,” warning that the conflict has decimated vital health, water and sanitation systems, creating fertile ground for disease outbreaks.