The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that it has received a “preliminary commitment” that will allow for temporary “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza to distribute polio vaccines. The deteriorating conditions due to Israel’s ongoing conflict have led to a rise in diseases and health issues in the besieged enclave.

Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative in the Palestinian territories, stated Thursday that the three pauses will occur from 6 AM to 3 PM and will last for three days each in different areas of Gaza, beginning on Sunday. “I would not say this is the ideal solution. But this is a feasible solution,” said Peeperkorn. “It will happen, and it should happen because we have an agreement.”

Humanitarian and medical groups have reported that Israel’s nearly 11-month-long offensive against Gaza has forced almost the entire population to flee and has created unsanitary conditions that have facilitated the spread of diseases. An example is Abdel-Rahman Abu El-Jedian, a 10-month-old Palestinian who was partially paralyzed after contracting polio, a disease that had not been present in Gaza for 25 years.

Peeperkorn mentioned that the campaign aims to vaccinate 640,000 children under the age of 10. “The agreement came after intense pressure from the United Nations (UN) and the United States (US), with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly also appealing to Israel to allow this campaign,” reported Al Jazeera correspondent Kristen Saloomey from the UN in New York.

Vaccinations will begin in central Gaza, after which they will move to southern Gaza for three days, and then to northern Gaza for an additional three days. Israeli authorities have provided assurances that if the necessary number of vaccinations is not achieved within the three days, there will be an extra day allocated at each of the respective locations.

The Palestinian group Hamas has also expressed its willingness to cooperate with international organizations to ensure the success of the campaign. Israeli authorities stated that the vaccinations will be conducted in collaboration with the Israeli military, “as part of the routine humanitarian pauses that will allow the population to access the medical centers where vaccinations will be administered.”

Humanitarian groups have accused Israel of systematically undermining medical infrastructure and targeting humanitarian workers in Gaza throughout the conflict.