The re-emergence of polio in Gaza is yet another sign of Israel’s genocidal strategies at work.

In August, the Palestinian Health Ministry announced Gaza’s first proven case of polio infection in 25 years. The virus had infected a 10-month-old baby in Deir el-Balah, leaving him paralysed. While only one case has been confirmed so far, this does not mean it is the only one or that the spread of the virus is limited.

While polio can cause paralysis and even death, many of those who are infected with the virus do not show any symptoms. That is why testing and medical evaluation are needed to properly determine the scale of the breakout. But that is nearly impossible in Gaza, given Israel’s wholesale destruction of its healthcare sector.

We do know that the type 2 poliovirus (cVDPV) was identified in six sewage samples, collected from two different sites in Khan Younis and Deir el-Balah in July. After these findings were made public, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus warned that it is “just a matter of time before [the virus] reaches the thousands of children who have been left unprotected”.

Israel rejected calls by the United Nations for a ceasefire and agreed to localised “humanitarian pauses” for just a few days. In parallel, it intensified its bombing of Gaza and mass expulsions of civilians. Between 19 and 24 August, the Israeli army issued the highest number of evacuation orders in one week since October 7, leading the UN to temporarily halt humanitarian operations.

• Read More