Overview

• A 10-month-old baby in Deir al-Balah is the first confirmed polio case in Gaza in 25 years.
• UN and WHO call for a humanitarian pause to facilitate vaccination campaigns for over 640,000 children.
• Overcrowding, lack of sanitation, and destroyed infrastructure exacerbate disease spread.
• Only 16 of Gaza's 36 hospitals are partially functioning, complicating medical response efforts.
• Health organizations stress the urgency of immediate vaccination to prevent a widespread outbreak.