The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a possible humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which could allow critical medical operations to take place.
Channel 12 reports this.
A senior WHO official said the organization had received prior approval for specific humanitarian pauses in certain areas of Gaza to allow for the polio vaccination campaign.
The official also said that WHO estimates that some 10,000 patients are in critical condition and require urgent evacuation and medical care outside the Gaza Strip. Half of these people have fallen ill as a result of the fighting, highlighting the severity of the humanitarian crisis in the region.
Earlier, Kursor reported that Hamas militants made a statement about the possibility of a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha said in an interview with Qatari newspaper Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed on Thursday that the terrorist organisation had agreed to a temporary “humanitarian pause” in the fighting. The ceasefire is expected to last seven days.
Egyptian sources told the publication that they believe the truce will begin in the coming days. The humanitarian pause is intended to facilitate the polio vaccination campaign. The sources also indicated that the truce will last three to five days during the day and will not affect the areas where IDF forces are located.
Moreover, this truce proposal was reportedly discussed in Cairo during a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier this month. Arab reports say that due to the stalemate in negotiations for a comprehensive ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, mediators have turned their attention to securing a short-term humanitarian pause. The measure addresses urgent needs, including the delivery of polio vaccines and hygiene products, especially amid disease outbreaks among displaced populations and fears of a possible epidemic in Gaza.
