The "@IsraelArabic" account on Platform X posted that Israel "continues to work in coordination and cooperation with international relief organizations to provide essential medical aid to Gaza Strip residents." This statement was made as Israel launched a campaign to vaccinate children in Gaza against polio.
On September 1, the "@IsraelArabic" account added that "under political directives, officers from the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) recently met with representatives from the United Nations and other international organizations to finalize and coordinate the polio vaccination campaign, set to begin on Sunday in the Gaza Strip. In preparation, vaccines, medical supplies, logistical equipment, and cooling systems for storing and transporting the vaccines have already been delivered."
Pro-Israel accounts shared this post, with some praising the "humanitarian efforts" of the occupying state toward Gaza's residents. However, they avoided mentioning the underlying cause of the virus's spread — the war that Israel launched on the Gaza Strip.
Abraham Dinar, who identifies himself as a professor specializing in Islam and Islamic history, asserted that Israel "took the lead in supplying millions of polio vaccine doses to the World Health Organization and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to vaccinate Gaza's children and curb the spread of the disease following the first recorded case of the virus."
In a Platform X post, he added, "The propaganda machines of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah accuse Israel of waging a genocidal war against the people of Gaza. But, for God's sake, would a nation aiming for genocide rush to provide vaccines for children, ensuring timely delivery and special refrigeration for second doses? It’s time for these propaganda channels to be silenced and for us to focus on the future of these children rather than poisoning their minds with unfounded lies and fabrications."
Gaza’s Conditions Create an Ideal Environment for a Polio Outbreak
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported detecting a highly contagious polio virus in wastewater samples from the Gaza Strip. According to a spokesperson, samples collected on June 23 from Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah showed the presence of type 2 poliovirus in six different locations.
On August 16, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported the first confirmed case of polio in Deir Al-Balah, affecting a 10-month-old infant who had not received any polio vaccinations. The ministry highlighted that inadequate hygiene, poor sanitation services, waste accumulation on streets and around displacement shelters, and limited access to safe drinking water have created conditions that facilitate the spread of various diseases, including waterborne illnesses like polio.
On August 23, the WHO confirmed that the 10-month-old infant had developed paralysis as a result of polio.
Polio primarily affects children under the age of 5, with one in 200 infections leading to irreversible paralysis. Between 5% and 10% of those paralyzed by polio may die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. The WHO warns that as long as a single child remains infected, children worldwide are at risk of contracting polio.
The organization defines polio as a "highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours." The virus spreads primarily through person-to-person contact via the fecal-oral route, and less frequently through a common vehicle (for example, contaminated water or food). It multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, neck stiffness, and limb pain.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) asserts that Israel's military attacks on healthcare infrastructure and water supplies, coupled with ongoing obstructions to aid, are exacerbating the risk of a devastating polio outbreak in Gaza.
Julia Bleckner, a senior health and human rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, stated, “If the Israeli government continues to block urgent aid and destroy water and waste management infrastructure, it will facilitate the spread of a disease that has been nearly eradicated worldwide.” She emphasized the need for Israel’s partners to pressure the government to lift the blockade on Gaza and ensure unrestricted humanitarian aid to facilitate timely vaccine distribution and contain the polio outbreak.
HRW points out that Israeli military strikes have destroyed crucial civilian infrastructure in Gaza required to prevent and respond to disease outbreaks, including hospitals, drinking water sources, and waste management systems. Additionally, Israeli forces have destroyed key water quality testing laboratories in Gaza, severely hampering epidemiological surveillance of the poliovirus and other waterborne diseases.
HRW emphasized that the Israeli military's repeated forced displacement of Gaza residents has hindered efforts to deliver vaccines to the children who need them.
In its report titled "Water War Crimes: How Israel Has Weaponized Water in Its Military Campaign in Gaza," Oxfam confirmed that Israel intentionally cut off external water supplies, systematically destroyed water facilities, and obstructed aid. This has reduced Gaza's water supply by 94%, leaving just 4.74 liters per person per day—barely a third of the minimum recommended amount for emergencies and insufficient even for basic sanitation needs like flushing a toilet.
The organization also highlighted that Israel destroyed 70% of sewage pumps, all wastewater treatment plants, and the main laboratories for water quality testing in Gaza. Additionally, it restricted the entry of water-testing equipment from the organization. Gaza City has lost nearly all of its water production capacity, with 88% of its wells and all desalination plants either damaged or destroyed.
The report shed light on the severe impact of the lack of clean water and sanitation facilities on Palestinian health, noting that more than a quarter of Gaza’s population (26%) has contracted serious, preventable diseases.
Campaign to Vaccinate 640,000 Children in the Gaza Strip
On September 1, a campaign was launched to vaccinate 640,000 children in Gaza against polio, involving the Palestinian Ministry of Health, UNRWA, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and other organizations. The WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territories announced a preliminary commitment to a humanitarian ceasefire in specific areas during the campaign.
It is important to note that many infectious diseases are widespread among children in Gaza, particularly skin conditions, due to weakened immunity, water contamination, a shortage of cleaning supplies, and a lack of appropriate medications to treat these diseases.
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