Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for the warring parties in Gaza to guarantee humanitarian pauses in the fighting so a polio vaccine campaign can be conducted.
“Let’s be clear: the ultimate vaccine for polio is peace and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” Mr Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.
“But in any case, a polio pause is a must. It is impossible to conduct a polio vaccination campaign with war raging all over.”
He appealed for “concrete assurances” to be provided quickly, warning that preventing and containing the spread of polio in the enclave would take an urgent, massive and co-ordinated effort.
Mr Guterres gave no timetable on when a pause would start and how long it would last.
The UN is set to launch a vaccine campaign in Gaza for children under the age of 10, but the “challenges are grave”, Mr Guterres added.
Last week, the World Health Organisation set out plans to administer 1.6 million polio vaccine doses in Gaza to prevent an outbreak that could exacerbate the current humanitarian crisis.
Two rounds of mass vaccination – aimed at hundreds of thousands of children – will begin this month after the detection of poliovirus in sewage in southern Khan Younis and central Deir Al Balah.
Gaza's Health Ministry declared a polio epidemic in the Palestinian enclave last month, blaming Israel's military offensive.
At least 95 per cent vaccination coverage will be needed during each of the two rounds of the campaign to prevent polio's spread and reduce its emergence given the devastation in Gaza, Mr Guterres said.
He added that a successful campaign will require the transport for vaccines and refrigeration equipment at every step, the entry of polio experts into Gaza, reliable internet and phone services, and other elements.
“And, above all, a successful polio vaccination campaign needs safety” for health workers, for children and their families to get to vaccination sites and for those facilities to be protected from bombings, Mr Guterres added.
A senior western official, told Reuters there was at least one confirmed case and two suspected among Palestinians in the enclave, adding that there might not be a single humanitarian pause but several shorter ones.
The danger is that the threat of disease outbreaks is not confined to Gaza, which the official said was a “contagion time bomb”, as when the rainy season begins in late autumn, the contaminated raw sewage could be “pushed” down to an aquifer from which Israel, Egypt and Jordan draw water.
Poliomyelitis, which is spread mainly through the faecal-oral route, is a highly infectious virus that can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis.
Children under five are most at risk from the viral disease, especially infants under two since normal vaccination campaigns have been disrupted by 10 months of conflict.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Ashes 2019 schedule
August 1-5: First Test, Edgbaston
August 14-18: Second Test, Lord's
August 22-26: Third Test, Headingley
September 4-8: Fourth Test, Old Trafford
September 12-16: Fifth Test, Oval
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
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City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
The specs
A4 35 TFSI
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Transmission: seven-speed S-tronic automatic
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On sale: First Q 2020
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
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- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
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Without Remorse
Directed by: Stefano Sollima
Starring: Michael B Jordan
4/5
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
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Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
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Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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On sale: Now
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
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