Israeli army vaccinates soldiers in Gaza against polio

The Israeli army has recorded a high concentration of polio virus in sewage water in the Gaza Strip, and announced the launch of a campaign to vaccinate its soldiers there against the virus.

The Israeli army said in a statement on Sunday that "following up on reports of the presence of polio virus in the Gaza Strip, the IDF took samples for examination in various areas where traces of polio virus were found, which is contagious through drinking or oral contact with affected water."

The statement added: "Following these indications, the IDF, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, decided to vaccinate the maneuvering forces against the virus in order to preserve the health of IDF soldiers and citizens of Israel."

He pointed out that "the Technology and Logistics Authority has launched a large-scale vaccination campaign for all maneuvering forces, both regular and reserve. The vaccines will be administered gradually as part of the forces' recovery periods. These vaccines are administered as part of the IDF's responsibility to the public and to its fighters."

He added: "Alongside the vaccination campaign for soldiers, the IDF is working with various organizations to bring in vaccines intended for the population in the Strip. Since the outbreak of the war, about 300,000 polio vaccines have been brought into the Gaza Strip, enough for more than a million Gazans, in cooperation with international organizations."

Earlier, Palestinian doctors in the Gaza Strip warned of  the increased spread of diseases and epidemics among the displaced  in camps and shelters, due to the crowding of large numbers of displaced people in narrow spaces.

The Director of the Government Media Office in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Thawabta, confirmed that  Israel is deliberately exacerbating the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip , as it has destroyed the water and sewage networks in most areas of the Strip, while all the crossings of the Strip are closed, and there is no entry of aid.