By Alastair Mccready

    The World Health Organization has announced that Israel has agreed to limited “humanitarian pauses” to allow for vital polio vaccinations in Gaza, but they will only happen in “certain places at certain times”.

    WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the pauses are set to begin on September 1, with teams on the ground needing the next 48 hours to ensure logistics are in place for the rollout of a vaccination campaign.

    Israeli attacks killed at least 79 Palestinians and wounded 77 in the last 24 hours, the Gaza Health Ministry says, with a strike in central Gaza overnight killing nine members of the same family, including a pregnant woman and her unborn child.

    China condemns Israel at UN Security Council meeting, saying: “We must never allow the same humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza to happen in the West Bank, which will turn the West Bank into another hell on earth.”

    At least 40,602 people have been killed and 93,855 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7.

    Harris says ‘too many innocent Palestinians’ killed in Gaza, but won’t stop weapons delivery to Israel

    US Vice President Kamala Harris has said a captives-for-ceasefire deal is needed in Gaza and reiterated that too many innocent civilians are being killed in the enclave.

    The Democratic presidential nominee, however, told CNN that she would not break with President Joe Biden’s policies on Israel, including the delivery of weaponry.

    “No,” she said when asked in an interview with the US network on Thursday if she would withhold weapons.

    “Israel has a right to defend itself … and how it does so matters. Far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed, and we have got to get a deal done,” she said.

    Palestinian ambassador tells UNSC ‘humanity unravelling’ in Israel’s war on Gaza

    Riyad Mansour, Palestine’s representative to the United Nations, has warned the UN Security Council (UNSC) that the world is witnessing the “unravelling” of humanity and the rule of law in Gaza as Israel carries out genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

    In a lengthy letter to the council, Mansour said, “Nothing is sacred, not even the life of a child, nothing too shameless, too deranged, too vicious for the occupying army to commit” in Gaza.

    “Israel must be stopped, and the international community must act decisively. Every single day [Israel] proves that it has zero regard for international law, including humanitarian and human rights law, nor any regard for the Charter and authority of the UN,” he said.