Gaza - September 02, 2024

Storyline:
Residents in the Gaza Strip are clinging onto a glimmer of hope that a temporary humanitarian pause to allow for the roll out of a large-scale polio vaccination campaign for children could be the prelude to a permanent truce between Israel and Hamas, though many are doubtful that an end to the conflict could be in sight.

The campaign Gaza started on Sunday, with the United Nations saying it has delivered 1.2 million doses of the oral polio vaccine, targeting approximately 640,000 children in the war-torn enclave.

The Palestinian Health Ministry, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), has established vaccination centers in hospitals, clinics, schools, and shelters.

In the streets of the devastated central Gaza Strip, markets were crowded with displaced Palestinians who took advantage of the temporary halt in Israeli airstrikes to shop and buy supplies from designated locations.

However, Israeli bombs continued to fall on several areas in southern Gaza during the first day of the humanitarian agreement sponsored by the United Nations, leaving Palestinian civilians in a state of uncertainty about the success of the truce.

Baha Al-Arbid was one of the many people displaced from northern Gaza to the center of the Palestinian enclave with his family in search for safety. Despite the truce, he said he prefers not to leave the refugee camp where he now lives.

The first phase of the polio vaccination campaign began Sunday in central Gaza, including the city of Deir al-Balah and the refugee camps of al-Nuseirat, al-Maghazi, and al-Bureij. The second phase is scheduled for Sept. 5 in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, with northern Gaza set to be covered on Sept. 9.

Shotlist:
Central Gaza Strip - Sept 2, 2024:
1. Various of destroyed buildings, people walking among rubble, street;
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Dunia Al-Amal Ismail, Gaza resident:
"The truce represents a glimmer of hope for many Palestinian families to try to make up for what they missed during the Israeli bombing operations. It's an opportunity to relive the details of our lives, visit patients and relatives, check on their homes, and also take care of their needs."
3. Various of destroyed buildings, rubble, charred wall, smoke;
4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Emad Al-Banna, Gaza resident:
"We pray to God that it will actually be a real truce. But what we see on the ground does not indicate the existence of a truce. It's possible that the truce will be violated now or at any moment, because Israel can't be trusted."
5. Various of people repairing temporary shelter tent, belongings on ground;
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Baha Al-Arbid, Gaza resident:
"We've heard about the truce for polio vaccinations. But I want to stay in this area because I don't trust this truce that has just begun. We still fear bombing will happen at any moment, as it happened this morning."
7. Various of damaged buildings, people in market, traffic.

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