The Gaza Health Ministry (a Hamas entity) said the first case of polio has been detected in the strip. The disease was diagnosed in a 10-month-old child in the city of Deir al-Balah.
Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Hamas and Israel to ensure humanitarian pauses to carry out mass polio vaccinations in the Gaza Strip.
“I call on the parties to the conflict to provide concrete guarantees. Peace and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire are needed to carry out polio vaccination,” he told reporters at UN headquarters.
Hamas terrorist organization politburo member Izzat al-Rishak said Hamas supports the UN call for a seven-day humanitarian pause.