Israel And Hamas Reportedly Agree On Interim Ceasefire For Polio Vaccination

The polio vaccine arrives at the border crossing of the Kelem SALom. (Source: COGAT)

JAKARTA - Palestinian militant group Hamas approved a seven-day humanitarian ceasefire plan in Gaza for the polio vaccination program, reports London-based Arab news site Al-Arby Al-Jadeed.

The media said Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha said in an interview the Palestinian militant group urged all parties to continue the ceasefire initiative.

The reason is that Israel should not be allowed to "avoid or procrastinate and submit alternatives by determining a place to start the vaccination process and not commit to any humanitarian ceasefire," as quoted by The Times of Israel August 30.

The media quoted unnamed Egyptian sources as estimating the ceasefire would begin in a few days, lasting during the day for 3-5 days, excluding places in the Gaza Strip where the Israel Defense Forces operates.

The ceasefire, reportedly discussed by Egypt and the US last week, would be detached from the Israeli-Hamas deal, as talks failed to produce a breakthrough.

The United Nations is preparing to vaccinate about 640,000 children in Gaza, after the World Health Organization (WHO) said a 10-month-old baby was paralyzed by the type 2 polio virus, the region's first case in 25 years.

Earlier, Israel's Channel 13 reported that Jerusalem had approved a temporary humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to facilitate polio vaccination.

According to the report, the decision was made at the request of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken when he visited last week.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and security chief are said to have approved the move without informing the security cabinet ministers.

Separately, the Prime Minister's Office denied having authorized a ceasefire, but confirmed it had approved "the appointment of certain territories in the Gaza Strip." It is claimed that the move was delivered in the security cabinet and had its support.