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.
Gaza records first polio case in 25 years as UN urges vaccinations
https://arab.news/pxuq6
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
Tehran residents fear escalation after Israeli attacks
The night skies had been criss-crossed by light trails from air defense weapons, but by mid-morning the capital had resumed its usual rhythm and buses wove through the streets, taking troubled Iranians to work.
Iranian officials and media have played down the attack, but on the streets of Tehran many were concerned that it had marked a new escalation and a step toward all-out war.
Hooman, a 42-year-old factory employee, was on a factory night shift when he heard the blasts.
“It was an echoing sound ... terrible and horrifying,” he told AFP. “Now that there is war in the Middle East, we are afraid that we will be dragged into it.”
Saturday’s Israeli attack came in response to Iran’s missile strike on October 1, itself a retaliation for the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders and a Revolutionary Guards commander.
The latest tit-for-tat moves take place against a backdrop of the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, and which has expanded to include Lebanon’s Hezbollah in recent weeks.
On Saturday, the Israeli military said it had conducted “precise strikes on military targets in Iran,” in response to what it said were “months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran.”
It warned Tehran against responding.
Iran confirmed Israel targeted military sites in Tehran province as well as other areas, saying the blasts heard were the “activation of the air defense system” intercepting the Israeli attack.
At least two Iranian soldiers died in the strikes.
Fears of escalation
Some in Tehran voiced fears over an escalation of the conflict.
“If they attack, it will be us who will be crushed,” said Moharam, a 51-year-old day laborer.
Others, however, said they were entirely unaware that an attack had even happened.
Iranian media has downplayed the attack, which also targeted areas in the border provinces of Khuzestan and Ilam, and reported it caused “limited damage” thanks to Iran’s air defense forces.
State media carried footage showing traffic flowing normally in several cities as people went about their daily business.
Iranian officials emphasized that all school activities and sport events were to be held as scheduled.
Flights over Iran were briefly suspended for a few hours following the attack, but later resumed as scheduled.
Sepideh, a 30-year-old insurance manager, said she woke up Saturday and hurried to work like usual despite her worries.
“War is frightening ... but I don’t think a terrible war will happen in Iran,” she said.
Hezbollah fires rockets at Israeli soldiers in south Lebanon
- Hezbollah fighters launch a ‘salvo of rockets’ at Israeli soldiers on the outskirts of the village of Aita Al-Shaab
BEIRUT: Hezbollah said it fired a barrage of rockets on Saturday at Israeli forces near a village in southern Lebanon, where the Israeli army has carried out ground incursions for weeks.
The Iran-backed group said in a statement that its fighters had launched a “salvo of rockets” at Israeli soldiers on the outskirts of the village of Aita Al-Shaab, the scene of regular clashes Hezbollah reported with Israeli forces over the past two weeks.
UAE budget carrier flydubai cancels flights to Jordan, Iran, Iraq and Israel
- Iran and Iraq announced the resumption of flights as normal following a brief suspension
CAIRO: UAE airline flydubai canceled flights to Jordan, Iran, Iraq and Israel and diverted others on Saturday, a company spokesperson said, shortly after Israel struck military targets in Iran.
Iran meanwhile announced it will resume flights as normal from 9 a.m. (0530 GMT), the semi-official news agency Tasnim reported on Saturday following a brief suspension after Israel struck military targets in the country.
Iraq also reopened its airspace and resumed flights, state news agency INA reported on Saturday, citing the ministry of transportation, following a brief suspension which it had attributed to regional tensions.
Israel launches strikes on military targets in Iran
- Iran’s state TV said Tehran’s airports were “normal,” after it reported several explosions around the capital
- Syrian state media said Israeli air strikes also targeted some military sites in central and southern Syria
RIYADH: Israel carried out strikes against Iran early Saturday, saying it was responding to missile attacks conducted by Tehran earlier in the month.
The military announced the action on the social media platform X: “Right now the Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran”.
Air defense systems in Tehran could be seen shooting down projectiles over the east of the city, prompting authorities to shut down Iranian air space.
Hours later, Israel said that it had completed military actions against Iranian military targets and said its planes had returned home safely.
The attacks had been expected for weeks, after Iran struck mainland Israel on Oct. 1, and US officials said they had received advanced notice of the Israeli actions.
The Iranians confirmed that military sites in the provinces of Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran had been struck.
In its statement, the IDF said: “The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7th— on seven fronts— including direct attacks from Iranian soil. Like every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and the duty to respond.
“Our defensive and offensive capabilities are fully mobilized. We will do whatever necessary to defend the State of Israel and the people of Israel,” said the statement read by Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, chief spokesman of the Israel Defense Forces.
In Tehran, the Iranian capital, the sound of explosions could be heard, with state-run media there initially acknowledging at least six blasts were heard around Tehran and saying some of the sounds came from air defense systems around the city.
A Tehran resident told The Associated Press that at least seven explosions could be heard, which rattled the surrounding area. The resident spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Iran’s state TV later said that operations at Tehran’s airports including Imam Khomeini International airport were “normal.”
“Operations at Imam Khomeini International Airport and Mehrabad Airport are normal and they continue to operate according to the schedule,” the state TV presenter said, citing the chiefs of Mehrabad and Imam Khomeini airports.
Israel’s strikes on Iran did not include attacking Iranian nuclear facilities or oil fields, and focused on military targets, NBC News and ABC News reported, citing an Israeli official.
In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said the “targeted strikes on military targets” are “an exercise of self-defense and in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1.”
The United States was “informed beforehand and there is no US involvement,” a US defense official told AFP, under the condition of anonymity.
The official did not say how far in advance the United States had been informed or what had been shared by Israel.
Meanwhile, Syrian state media said Israeli air strikes also targeted some military sites in central and southern Syria.
Iran has launched two ballistic missile attacks on Israel in recent months amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that began with the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel also has launched a ground invasion of Lebanon.
The strike happened just as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was arriving back in the US after a tour of the Middle East where he and other US officials had warned Israel to tender a response that would not further escalate the conflict in the region and exclude nuclear sites in Iran.
Israel had vowed to hit Iran hard following a massive Iranian missile barrage on Oct. 1. Iran said its barrage was in response to deadly Israeli attacks against its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, and it has promised to respond to any retaliatory strikes.
Israel and Iran have been bitter foes since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israel considers Iran to be its greatest threat, citing its leaders’ calls for Israel’s destruction, their support for anti-Israel militant groups and the country’s nuclear program.
Israel and Iran have been locked in a yearslong shadow war. A suspected Israeli assassination campaign has killed top Iranian nuclear scientists. Iranian nuclear installations have been hacked or sabotaged, all in mysterious attacks blamed on Israel. Meanwhile, Iran has been blamed for a series of attacks on shipping in the Middle East in recent years, which later grew into the attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping through the Red Sea corridor.
But since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, the battle has increasingly moved into the open. Israel has recently turned its attention to Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets into Israel since the war in Gaza began. Throughout the year, a number of top Iranian military figures have been killed in Israeli strikes in Syria and Lebanon.
Iran fired a wave of missiles and drones at Israel last April after two Iranian generals were killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike in Syria on an Iranian diplomatic post. The missiles and drones caused minimum damage, and Israel — under pressure from Western countries to show restraint — responded with a limited strike.
But after Iran’s early October missile strike, Israel promised a tougher response.
- With Agencies
Israel launches strikes on military targets in Iran
- Iran’s state TV said Tehran’s airports including Imam Khomeini International airport were “normal,” after it reported several explosions around the capital
- Syrian state media said Israeli air strikes also targeted some military sites in central and southern Syria
RIYADH: Israel carried out strikes against Iran early Saturday, saying it was responding to missile attacks conducted by Tehran earlier in the month.
The military announced the action on the social media platform X: "Right now the Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran”.
Air defense systems in Tehran could be seen shooting down projectiles over the east of the city, prompting authorities to shut down Iranian air space.
Hours later, Israel said that it had completed military actions against Iranian military targets and said its planes had returned home safely.
The attacks had been expected for weeks, after Iran struck mainland Israel on Oct. 1, and US officials said they had received advanced notice of the Israeli actions.
The Iranians confirmed that military sites in the provinces of Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran had been struck.
In its statement, the IDF said: "The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7th—on seven fronts—including direct attacks from Iranian soil. Like every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and the duty to respond.
"Our defensive and offensive capabilities are fully mobilized. We will do whatever necessary to defend the State of Israel and the people of Israel," said the statement read by Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, chief spokesman of the Israel Defense Forces.
In Tehran, the Iranian capital, the sound of explosions could be heard, with state-run media there initially acknowledging at least six blasts were heard around Tehran and saying some of the sounds came from air defense systems around the city.
A Tehran resident told The Associated Press that at least seven explosions could be heard, which rattled the surrounding area. The resident spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Iran’s state TV later said that operations at Tehran’s airports including Imam Khomeini International airport were “normal.”
“Operations at Imam Khomeini International Airport and Mehrabad Airport are normal and they continue to operate according to the schedule,” the state TV presenter said, citing the chiefs of Mehrabad and Imam Khomeini airports.
Israel's strikes on Iran did not include attacking Iranian nuclear facilities or oil fields, and focused on military targets, NBC News and ABC News reported, citing an Israeli official.
In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said the “targeted strikes on military targets” are “an exercise of self-defense and in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1.”
The United States was “informed beforehand and there is no US involvement,” a US defense official told AFP, under the condition of anonymity.
The official did not say how far in advance the United States had been informed or what had been shared by Israel.
Meanwhile, Syrian state media said Israeli air strikes also targeted some military sites in central and southern Syria.
Iran has launched two ballistic missile attacks on Israel in recent months amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that began with the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel also has launched a ground invasion of Lebanon.
The strike happened just as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was arriving back in the US after a tour of the Middle East where he and other US officials had warned Israel to tender a response that would not further escalate the conflict in the region and exclude nuclear sites in Iran.
Israel had vowed to hit Iran hard following a massive Iranian missile barrage on Oct. 1. Iran said its barrage was in response to deadly Israeli attacks against its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, and it has promised to respond to any retaliatory strikes.
Israel and Iran have been bitter foes since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israel considers Iran to be its greatest threat, citing its leaders’ calls for Israel’s destruction, their support for anti-Israel militant groups and the country’s nuclear program.
Israel and Iran have been locked in a yearslong shadow war. A suspected Israeli assassination campaign has killed top Iranian nuclear scientists. Iranian nuclear installations have been hacked or sabotaged, all in mysterious attacks blamed on Israel. Meanwhile, Iran has been blamed for a series of attacks on shipping in the Middle East in recent years, which later grew into the attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping through the Red Sea corridor.
But since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, the battle has increasingly moved into the open. Israel has recently turned its attention to Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets into Israel since the war in Gaza began. Throughout the year, a number of top Iranian military figures have been killed in Israeli strikes in Syria and Lebanon.
Iran fired a wave of missiles and drones at Israel last April after two Iranian generals were killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike in Syria on an Iranian diplomatic post. The missiles and drones caused minimum damage, and Israel — under pressure from Western countries to show restraint — responded with a limited strike.
But after Iran’s early October missile strike, Israel promised a tougher response.
(With Agencies)
