The office of Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa has said that 1.2 million polio vaccines are now at the warehouses of the UN’s children’s agency (Unicef) in Gaza in preparation for the vaccination campaign, Al Jazeera reports.

In a post on social media, the prime minister’s office said the vaccines are being “stored under proper cold chain protocols” and the vaccination drive will soon start.

Efforts are also underway to secure 400,000 more vaccines to ensure that 95 per cent of Gaza’s children — aged 0 to 10 — are protected against the deadly disease.

The UN has called for a pause in fighting to allow for the vaccination of children after the first polio case in Gaza in 25 years was diagnosed this month following the recent discovery of the virus in samples of sewage and wastewater in the enclave.