The European Union has called for “immediate” humanitarian pauses to allow the polio vaccination of all children in the Gaza Strip, which last month recorded its first case of the disease in 25 years, AFP reports.

The World Health Organisation and Unicef are planning two vaccination drives across the territory in the coming weeks, providing oral vaccine against type 2 poliovirus (cVDPV2) to more than 640,000 children.

“Commitment to the humanitarian pauses by all parties will be crucial to allow the successful and timely implementation of these urgent campaigns,” the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said on behalf of the 27-country bloc in a statement.

“An epidemic among a population already weakened by over 10 months of fighting and displacement, malnourishment, lack of basic health services, and deplorable sanitary conditions, as well as further spread internationally, must be avoided,” he said.