GENEVA - The World Health Organisation said it hoped to administer a second dose of the polio vaccine to children in northern Gaza from next week, after Israeli bombing had halted the drive.

The vaccination campaign began on September 1 after the besieged Palestinian territory confirmed its first case of polio in 25 years.

A first round of inoculation was completed and the second round – essential to build up immunity – began as scheduled on October 14, first in central Gaza, then the south, aided by so-called humanitarian pauses in the fighting.

But the WHO said on Wednesday it had been forced to postpone the final phase in the north due to “intense bombardment”, making the conditions on the ground “impossible”.

“We still have good hopes that we can do this campaign,” said Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative in the Palestinian territories.

“We have this window between October 28 and November 5 and I’m confident that it will happen. We need access to children, wherever they are,” he added.