Israel has agreed to a series of three-day "humanitarian pauses" in Gaza to allow health officials to administer polio vaccinations to children in the territory, the World Health Organization said Thursday. However, these pauses will not be enough to prevent a rapidly spreading health crisis in Gaza, says Bill Van Esveld of Human Rights Watch, as the root causes of polio and other diseases can only be addressed by an end to Israel’s “siege” of Gaza.
