Good progress is being made in rolling out a polio vaccine to children in Gaza but a permanent ceasefire in the 11-month conflict is needed to ease humanitarian suffering, the main UN agency for Palestinians said.

UNRWA said that three days into the campaign in areas of central Gaza, around 187,000 children had received the vaccine. The campaign will move to other areas of the Palestinian enclave for the second stage.

“Great progress! Every day in the Middle Areas of Gaza, more children are getting vaccines against Polio,” the head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, said on X on Wednesday.

“While these polio ‘pauses’ are giving people some respite, what is urgently needed is a permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages + the standard flow of humanitarian supplies including medical and hygiene supplies (into Gaza),” he said.

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