Gaza records first polio case in 25 years as UN urges vaccinations

Gaza records first polio case in 25 years as UN urges vaccinations
Mourners pray next to the bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, on Aug. 14, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 16 August 2024
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Gaza records first polio case in 25 years as UN urges vaccinations

Gaza records first polio case in 25 years as UN urges vaccinations
  • Tests in Jordan confirmed the disease in an unvaccinated 10-month-old from the central Gaza Strip, the health ministry in Ramallah said
  • “Doctors suspected the presence of symptoms consistent with polio,” the health ministry said

RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: Gaza has recorded its first polio case in 25 years, the Palestinian health ministry said on Friday, after UN chief Antonio Guterres called for pauses in the Israel-Hamas war to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of children.

Tests in Jordan confirmed the disease in an unvaccinated 10-month-old from the central Gaza Strip, the health ministry in Ramallah said.

According to the United Nations, Gaza, now in its 11th month of war, has not registered a polio case for 25 years, although type 2 poliovirus was detected in samples collected from the territory’s wastewater in June.

“Doctors suspected the presence of symptoms consistent with polio,” the health ministry said. “After conducting the necessary tests in the Jordanian capital, Amman, the infection was confirmed.”

The case emerged shortly after Guterres called for two seven-day breaks in the Gaza war to vaccinate more than 640,000 children.

Poliovirus, most often spread through sewage and contaminated water, is highly infectious. It can cause deformities and paralysis, and is potentially fatal. It mainly affects children under the age of five.

The UN health and children’s agencies said they had made detailed plans to reach children across the besieged Palestinian territory and could start this month.

But that would require pauses in the 10-month old war between Israel and Hamas, they said.

“Preventing and containing the spread of polio will take a massive, coordinated and urgent effort,” Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.

“I am appealing to all parties to provide concrete assurances right away guaranteeing humanitarian pauses for the campaign.”

The World Health Organization and UN children’s fund UNICEF said they were planning two seven-day vaccination drives across the Gaza Strip, starting in late August, against type 2 poliovirus (cVDPV2).

Last month, it was announced that type 2 poliovirus had been detected in samples collected in Gaza on June 23.

“These pauses in fighting would allow children and families to safely reach health facilities and community outreach workers to get to children who cannot access health facilities for polio vaccination,” the agencies said in a statement said.

After 25 years without polio, its re-emergence in the Gaza Strip would threaten neighboring countries, it added.

“A ceasefire is the only way to ensure public health security in the Gaza Strip and the region.”

During each round of the campaign, the health ministry in Gaza, alongside UN agencies, would provide “two drops of novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) to more than 640,000 children under 10 years of age.”

More than 1.6 million doses of nOPV2 were expected to transit through Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport “by the end of August,” the statement added.

The war was triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

On Thursday, the toll from Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza passed 40,000, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which does not provide a breakdown of civilian and militant casualties.


Israeli far right discusses Gaza ‘riviera’ plans

Israeli far right discusses Gaza ‘riviera’ plans
Updated 6 sec ago
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Israeli far right discusses Gaza ‘riviera’ plans

Israeli far right discusses Gaza ‘riviera’ plans
JERUSALEM: Some Israeli far-right leaders held a public meeting on Tuesday to discuss redeveloping the Gaza Strip into a tourist-friendly “riviera,” as Palestinians face a worsening humanitarian crisis in the devastated territory.
The meeting, titled “The Riviera in Gaza: From Vision to Reality,” was held in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, under the auspices of some of its most hard-line members.
It saw the participation of firebrand Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, as well as activist Daniella Weiss, a vocal proponent of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, among others.
The name of the event evokes a proposal floated by US President Donald Trump in February to turn the war-ravaged territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East” after moving out its Palestinian residents and putting it under American control.
The idea drew swift condemnation from across the Arab world, and from Palestinians themselves, for whom any effort to force them off their land would recall the “Nakba,” or catastrophe — the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel’s creation in 1948.
Participants in Tuesday’s Knesset meeting discussed a “master plan” drafted by Weiss’s organization to re-establish a permanent Jewish presence in Gaza.
The detailed plan foresees the construction of housing for 1.2 million new Jewish residents, and the development of industrial and agricultural zones, as well as tourism complexes on the coast.
Eight Israeli settlements located in various parts of the Gaza Strip were dismantled in 2005 as part of Israel’s unilateral decision to “disengage” from Gaza following years of violence between settlers, Palestinian armed groups and the army.
For the past two decades, a small but vocal section of Israeli society has urged the resettlement of the Strip.
Those voices have become louder after Palestinian militant group Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, with advocates presenting resettlement as a way to maintain tighter security control over the area.
The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel’s ensuing military campaign in Gaza has killed 59,106 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in the Strip has reached catastrophic proportions after 21 months of conflict and a two-month aid blockade imposed by Israel.
Israel began easing the blockade in late May, but extreme scarcities of food and other essentials persist, and cases of malnutrition and starvation are becoming increasingly frequent, according to local authorities, NGOs and AFP journalists on the ground.

WFP warns Gaza is on brink of full scale famine

A child reacts as Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 22, 2025.
A child reacts as Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 22, 2025.
Updated 35 min 42 sec ago
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WFP warns Gaza is on brink of full scale famine

A child reacts as Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 22, 2025.
  • UN official warns a quarter of the population at risk suffering from acute food shortages
  • Secretary-General Guterres demands protection for civilians harmed by gunfire at aid sites

NEW YORK: The UN World Food Programme warned on Monday that Gaza is teetering on the brink of full-scale famine, with nearly 100,000 women and children suffering from severe acute malnutrition amid rapidly deteriorating humanitarian conditions.

Speaking to reporters at a UN briefing, senior WFP official Ross Smith said that hunger is worsening, and humanitarian access has been severely restricted. 

“A quarter of the population are facing famine-like conditions,” he said. “People are dying from lack of assistance every day.”

Smith stressed that food and humanitarian aid are the only viable solutions at present, but movement inside Gaza remains perilous and limited. “The markets are non-functional. Nothing is really moving inside Gaza for us,” he said, outlining the “minimum operating conditions” required to respond effectively. These include functioning border crossings, reduced wait times and security approvals, and the ability to transport goods freely and safely.

He said the WFP requires a minimum of 100 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily to meet urgent needs. “Until we have that scale of assistance, it’s going to be really, really difficult to control the situation on the ground.”

Smith called for all armed actors to stay away from aid convoys and distribution points. 

Over the weekend scores of people were killed when a crowd surged around a WFP food convoy near a Gaza checkpoint.

“We cannot independently verify the death toll,” Smith said, noting WFP staff on the ground reported at least 40 fatalities, though other reports suggest as many as 80. “One death is too many. This is far, far too many.”

He denied any indication the incident was organized by militant groups, instead pointing to growing desperation among civilians. “These were people putting their lives on the line, trying to get something off a truck,” he said.

Fuel shortages and logistical hurdles continue to hamper aid distribution. Since mid-May, the WFP has managed to deliver less than 10 percent of the required food assistance. Smith said the agency has enough supplies pre-positioned outside Gaza to support the entire population for two months — provided a ceasefire is in place and aid routes are secured.

“We have the capacity, but we need a ceasefire,” he added.

The UN does not use armed escorts for its convoys and has no operational relationship with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, Smith confirmed. While the GHF has pushed for collaboration, no agreements are currently in place.

Smith warned that time is running out for thousands at risk of starvation. “Severe acute malnutrition, particularly in children, carries a very high mortality risk. They need treatment immediately,” he said.

The UN continues to press for adherence to existing humanitarian agreements and call for a ceasefire to prevent further tragedy. “Yesterday’s incident is one of the greatest tragedies we’ve seen in Gaza,” Smith said. “It was completely avoidable.”

Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that a new mass displacement order issued by the Israeli military is further eroding Gaza’s already collapsing humanitarian infrastructure. 

The directive, covering four neighborhoods in Deir Al-Balah, has forced thousands to flee, with an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 people in the affected area at the time of the order, including 30,000 already displaced sheltering at 57 sites. 

UN staff remain stationed at dozens of locations within the area, and OCHA has stressed that all civilian and humanitarian sites must be protected regardless of military operations.

The order encompasses critical infrastructure, including four health clinics, humanitarian warehouses, and essential water systems such as Gaza’s Southern Desalination Plant. OCHA warned that any damage to these facilities could have life-threatening consequences for civilians. 

Nearly 88 percent of the Gaza Strip now falls under displacement orders or Israeli-controlled zones, effectively confining 2.1 million people to just 12 percent of the territory. 

By cutting across Deir Al-Balah to the Mediterranean, the order further fragments the enclave, choking off humanitarian access.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed serious concern over the latest Israeli evacuation order. He said UN staff remain in the area, despite two UN guesthouses being hit in recent days, even after their coordinates had been shared with the relevant parties. 

“These sites must be protected,” Guterres said, calling once again for the protection of civilians, humanitarian personnel, and infrastructure. He reiterated his urgent appeal for unimpeded delivery of aid and repeated his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Guterres condemned growing reports of malnutrition among children and adults, and denounced the continued violence — including against people trying to access food. 

“Civilians must never be targeted,” Guterres said, adding that Israel is obligated under international law to facilitate humanitarian relief. He stressed that the population remains gravely undersupplied with essentials such as food, water, and medicine.


No aid supplies left and staff are starving in Gaza, says Norwegian Refugee Council

No aid supplies left and staff are starving in Gaza, says Norwegian Refugee Council
Updated 22 July 2025
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No aid supplies left and staff are starving in Gaza, says Norwegian Refugee Council

No aid supplies left and staff are starving in Gaza, says Norwegian Refugee Council
  • The Norwegian Refugee Council’s supplies of food and safe drinking water are running out

GENEVA: The Norwegian Refugee Council told Reuters on Tuesday its aid stocks are completely depleted in Gaza, with some of its staff now starving, and accused Israel of paralysing its work.

“Our last tent, our last food parcel, our last relief items have been distributed. There is nothing left,” Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the council told Reuters in an interview via video link from Oslo. The council’s comments echo those made earlier on Tuesday by the head of the Palestinian refugee agency, who said UNRWA’s staff were fainting on the job from hunger and exhaustion.

The NRC says that for the last 145 days it has not been able to get its hundreds of truckloads containing tents, water, sanitation, food and education materials into Gaza.

“Hundreds of truckloads have been sitting in warehouses or in Egypt or elsewhere, and costing our Western European donors a lot of money, but they are blocked from coming in… That’s why we are so angry. Because our job is to help,” Egeland said.

“Israel is not yielding. They just want to paralyze our work,” he added. The NRC has 64 Palestinian and two international staff on the ground in Gaza. On Sunday the NRC had to move 33 of its staff out of Deir al Balah following Israeli evacuation warnings.

The NRC said its supplies of safe drinking water, which have reached 100,000 people in central and northern parts of Gaza in recent weeks, are also running out, as fuel availability to run desalination plants reaches its limit.


Jordan’s king, Canada’s PM discuss Syria, Gaza and aid

Jordan’s king, Canada’s PM discuss Syria, Gaza and aid
Updated 22 July 2025
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Jordan’s king, Canada’s PM discuss Syria, Gaza and aid

Jordan’s king, Canada’s PM discuss Syria, Gaza and aid
  • Mark Carney to provide $28.4m to support Jordan
  • Israel urged to end war on Gaza, allow flow of aid

LONDON: King Abdullah of Jordan met with Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday in Ottawa for talks which included the situation in Syria and Gaza.

Carney, who met with King Abdullah for the first time since taking office in March, also announced that Canada would allocate $28.4 million to support Jordan.

The funding is for education, health and job creation, in addition to bolstering Jordan’s defense and security to combat terrorism and cross-border crime, the Petra news agency reported.

King Abdullah acknowledged Canada’s support for Jordan’s development, emphasizing the need to enhance investment and collaboration in trade, education, and healthcare.

He also emphasized Canada’s crucial role as a partner with Jordan in fostering peace and stability in the Middle East, and praised the country’s support for humanitarian efforts in Gaza.

The leaders called on Israel to ends its war on Gaza and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid to civilians in the territory.

King Abdullah also called for end to the violence of Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank; and for the international community to support the creation of a Palestinian state.

In addition, he reaffirmed Jordan’s support for Syria’s security, stability, and territorial integrity.

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Director of the Office of His Majesty Alaa Batayneh, Jordan’s Ambassador to Canada Sabah Al-Rafie, and Canadian officials attended the meeting.


Syria identifies 298 suspects in Alawite heartland killings

Syria identifies 298 suspects in Alawite heartland killings
Updated 22 July 2025
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Syria identifies 298 suspects in Alawite heartland killings

Syria identifies 298 suspects in Alawite heartland killings
  • The committee identified 298 suspects implicated in serious violations that left at least 1,426 Alawites dead in March

DAMASCUS: A Syrian committee investigating sectarian violence in the country’s Alawite heartland said Tuesday it identified 298 suspects implicated in serious violations that left at least 1,426 Alawites dead in March.

The violence unfolded over three days in early March on Syria’s predominantly Alawite coast, where government forces and allied groups were accused of carrying out summary executions, mostly targeting Alawite civilians.

“The committee identified 298 individuals by name, who were involved,” spokesman Yasser Al-Farhan told a press conference in Damascus, describing the figure as provisional.

He said two lists of suspects had been referred to the judiciary.

The committee documented “serious violations against civilians on March 7, 8 and 9, including murder, premeditated murder, looting, destruction and burning of homes, torture and sectarian insults.”

It confirmed the names of 1,426 dead, including 90 women, with most of the rest being civilians from the Alawite community.

Authorities have accused gunmen loyal to former president Bashar Assad, an Alawite, of instigating the violence, launching deadly attacks that killed dozens of security forces personnel.

Damascus sent military reinforcements to the region after the attacks.

The committee said 238 army and security force personnel were killed in the attacks in the provinces of Tartus, Latakia and Hama.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor reported the deaths of more than 1,700 people, mostly Alawite civilians.

According to human rights and international organizations, entire families were killed in the violence including women, children, and the elderly.

Gunmen stormed homes and asked their residents whether they were Alawite or Sunni before killing or sparing them, they said.

Amnesty International has urged Syria to publish the full results of the investigation and ensure those responsible are held accountable.

On Sunday, the presidency said Syrian leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa had received the committee’s report on July 13, the same day sectarian violence erupted in the Druze heartland of Sweida, killing more than 1,200 people according to the Observatory.

The bouts of violence have raised questions over the authorities’ ability to manage sectarian tensions and maintain security, more than seven months after Islamists overthrew Assad, who long presented himself as a protector of minorities.