Netanyahu denies reports of pause in Gaza fighting for polio vaccine campaign

IDF appoints new liaison for humanitarian activities in Gaza; World Food Programme suspends aid operations

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After reports emerged on Israel's Channel 13 and in foreign media, including The Washington Post, that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had approved brief pauses in IDF operations in Gaza for a polio vaccine drive, Netanyahu denied these claims.

The Washington Post cited “a senior State Department official” who said the agreement details, such as timing and location of the pauses, were still being worked out.

“The report on Channel 13 News to the effect that Israel has agreed to pauses in the fighting in Gaza is false,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) stated.

“These are not pauses in the fighting in order to administer polio vaccines but only the allocation of certain places in the Gaza Strip.”

The plan to advance a polio vaccination campaign was discussed during last week’s meeting between Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, following the detection of the polio virus in Gaza's wastewater and the announcement of the first reported case.

Less than two weeks ago, the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced that 282,126 vials of the polio vaccine – enough for 2,821,260 doses – were delivered to the Gaza Strip following the detection of the virus.

COGAT also announced that it was expecting the delivery of 43,250 vials of an additional vaccine, tailored specifically to the virus found in environmental samples, enough to vaccinate over 1 million children in the coming weeks.

Polio vaccines for 1,255,000 people were delivered to Gaza today via the Kerem Shalom Crossing.

This is done in coordination with @WHO and @UNICEF, and as part of our humanitarian efforts.

In the coming days, international and local medical teams will vaccinate children who… pic.twitter.com/prVzD1R56s
— COGAT (@cogatonline) August 25, 2024

On Wednesday evening, the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) announced it would halt its operations in Gaza again after claiming the IDF struck a UN vehicle in a convoy carrying humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.

A UN spokesman said the convoy had been coordinated with the IDF, and that even though "the vehicle had a clear UN marking on it, it was hit 10 times by Israeli fire.”

The Israeli military stated that it is investigating the incident.

“The IDF attaches great importance to the humanitarian effort and the protection of humanitarian workers, and the State of Israel is constantly working to improve the coordination and security mechanisms vis-à-vis aid organizations to deliver humanitarian aid within the Gaza Strip,” an IDF spokesman said.

The international food organization said the armored vehicle was one of two returning through the Kerem Shalom border crossing in a convoy escorting trucks carrying humanitarian supplies. It also said this was not the first safety incident faced by the organization in Gaza.

“Though this is not the first security incident to occur during the war, it is the first time that a WFP vehicle has been directly shot at near a checkpoint, despite securing the necessary clearances,” the WFP said.

The UN has complained of difficulties delivering and distributing aid into Gaza due to “total lawlessness” in the coastal enclave.

In response, on Wednesday, the IDF announced the creation of a new position in COGAT to serve as a liaison for humanitarian activities in Gaza.

The IDF said Col. Elad Goren was appointed to the newly-created post. Goren met with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday ahead of his appointment.

The IDF said the new role will “deal with the integration and implementation of the humanitarian effort in the Gaza Strip and the coordination with the international community, in a way that will allow the implementation of the humanitarian effort while upholding the security interests of the State of Israel.”

“The IDF sees great importance in the continuing humanitarian effort in the Gaza Strip, to continue fighting the terrorist organization Hamas, and within the framework of achieving the goals of the war," read the statement.

Enia Krivine, senior director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network, stated: “By creating a new senior role in COGAT, Israel is recognizing that it needs to have a better strategy for integrating its critical humanitarian work into the larger military and strategic objectives of the IDF.”