Palestinians in Gaza were on Thursday awaiting a potential pause in hostilities to facilitate the commencement of a polio vaccination campaign, amidst ongoing conflict that has claimed at least 34 lives within the besieged territory. The United Nations is gearing up to inoculate an estimated 640,000 children in Gaza, following the World Health Organisation's confirmation on August 23 that a baby has been paralyzed by the type 2 poliovirus—the first case in the region in 25 years. Juliette Touma, communications director of UNRWA, the UN Palestinian refugee agency, stated that the UN, which previously called for a humanitarian truce, aims to initiate the vaccination campaign on September 1. The afflicted baby, named by the World Health Organisation as Abdul-Rahman Abu Al-Jidyan, will celebrate his first birthday on the same day. His mother, Nivine Abu Al-Jidyan, expressed her distress over her son's condition and the limited medical assistance available due to the war and border closures. She lamented the injustice of her son being confined to a tent without proper care, highlighting his right to travel for treatment and to live a normal life. Meanwhile, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Umm Eliane Bakr is concerned about her 19-month-old daughter's susceptibility to polio due to malnutrition, and hopes for a safe passage to get her vaccinated amidst ongoing Israeli strikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed reports of a broad humanitarian truce, clarifying that only a more restricted plan had been proposed. Senior Hamas official Izzat El-Reshiq, however, expressed support for the UN's call for an urgent humanitarian truce to enable the polio vaccination campaign. Despite these efforts, Israeli forces continued their assault on Gaza, with Palestinian health officials reporting at least 34 deaths so far, including a tragic incident where a house in Gaza City was hit, resulting in the death of eight Palestinians, including children.