According to IRNA’s Thursday report, Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha said in an interview with the New Arab website that the movement had announced its agreement on August 16, when UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed a week-long ceasefire.
The spokesman urged that Hamas calls on all humanitarian organizations and institutions to fulfill their humanitarian obligations concerning the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and that the Israeli occupiers must agree to this ceasefire, they should not evade and postpone it, or put forward alternative options and refrain from complying with the humanitarian ceasefire.
Taha went on to say that the international community must thwart the inhumane actions of the Israeli occupiers, especially their attempt to prevent the plan to start vaccinating about 640,000 children under the age of 10 as well as 50 children born after October 7, 2023.
The New Arab website quoted some Egyptian sources as saying that a humanitarian ceasefire will come into force in Gaza in the next few days to pave the way for implementing a polio vaccination campaign.
Egyptian sources also underlined that the expected ceasefire would last for three to five days during daylight hours and would not include areas where Israeli military forces are present.
The sources added that a ceasefire to pave the ground for vaccinating Palestinian children against polio was discussed in Cairo during a meeting, where US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was also present.
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