Orkney islanders meet in their vigil for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as escalating Israeli settler violence continues in the illegally occupied West Bank.

Last week The Orkney News reported on the polio vaccination programme which was hoping to get going in Gaza following the first emergence of polio in 25 years in the region. (Baby Paralysed by Polio in #Gaza)

The United Nations Security Council, at the request of the UK Government, held an emergency meeting on Thursday 29th August in the hopes that there would be a pause in the bombardments so that people could get to vaccination centres. Israel has agreed that a mass vaccination campaign can get underway.

Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X:

“A #polio vaccination campaign in #Gaza is planned to begin on 1 September. We welcome the commitment to humanitarian pauses in specific areas, and suspension of evacuation orders for the implementation of the campaign. But the only lasting medicine is peace. The only way to fully protect all the children of Gaza is a ceasefire.”

Last week, a 10-month old baby whose mother raised the alarm when he stopped crawling became the first person to contract polio in the enclave in 25 years.

“A lack of water, healthcare and humanitarian access has formed a “perfect storm of conditions” in which polio reemerged in Gaza,” said Sam Rose, Senior Deputy Field Director for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestine Refugees.

At least 3,000 workers will ensure that more than 640,000 children under the age of 10 will receive two drops of oral polio vaccine type 2. The campaign is a joint UN operation involving UNRWA, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, the UN Children’s Fund.

In The West Bank, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for an “immediate cessation” of Israeli military operations in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Delivery of aid of any kind to the people of Gaza is hazardous even though the information about such movements is shared with Israeli forces and vehicles are clearly marked. On Wednesday 28th August a “clearly marked UN humanitarian vehicle – part of a convoy that had been fully coordinated with the [Israeli Defense Forces] IDF – was struck 10 times by IDF gunfire, including with bullets targeting front windows,” said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.

The team had been returning from a mission on Tuesday night to Kerem Shalom with two WFP armoured vehicles after escorting a convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian cargo routed to Gaza’s central area.

“Despite being clearly marked and receiving multiple clearances by Israeli authorities to approach, the vehicle was directly struck by gunfire as it was moving towards an IDF checkpoint,” the World Food Programme (WFP) said.

Just a few metres from that checkpoint at the Wadi Gaza Bridge, WFP reported that the vehicle sustained at least 10 bullets – five on the driver’s side, two on the passenger side and three on other parts of it.

“The incident is a stark reminder of the rapidly and ever shrinking humanitarian space in the Gaza Strip, where increasing violence compromises our ability to deliver lifesaving assistance.”

In August, the number of humanitarian missions and movements within Gaza that have been denied access by Israeli authorities has almost doubled.

Between the afternoons of 26 and 29 August, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 167 Palestinians were killed and 321 were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 29 August 2024, at least 40,602 Palestinians were killed and 93,855 were injured. In one of the most recent atrocities on 28 August, nine Palestinians, including two children and a person with a disability, were killed and others injured when they were hit at the entrance of Al Manfalouti governmental school, designated as an IDP shelter, on Salah ad Deen Road in eastern Deir al Balah. The following day, 29 August, eight Palestinians, including two children and three women, were killed and others injured when a residential building was hit near Al Amal Hotel, west Gaza city.

Since Israel began its genocidal operations in Gaza in the aftermath of the 7th of October 23 Hamas attack which killed 1,539 Israelis and foreign nationals, 339 Israeli soldiers have been killed and  2,263 have been injured. Israel has failed to rescue 107 hostages taken on 7th of October. Thousands of Palestinians have been captured and rounded up by Israel and held in military prison camps. The Hostages: #Gaza

About 17,000 children in Gaza are estimated to be unaccompanied or separated from their parents according to UNICEF, but actual numbers may be much higher. Unaccompanied and separated children face high risks of child labour, exploitation, neglect, starvation, and mental health impacts.

Doctors reported to the International Rescue Committee (IRC) that children without surviving family members are being found in hospitals, essentially living there alone due to the lack of alternative care arrangements. A UN survey from April 2024 indicated that 41 per cent of families in Gaza were caring for children who were not their own since October—a rate more than eight times higher than typical emergency estimates of between three and five per cent. At the same time, UNICEF estimates that up to 19,000 children have been orphaned. While community members are stepping in to provide care, conditions remain grave, with displaced populations lacking basic resources, including food, water, adequate shelter and access to health care. This scarcity is heightening fears of child neglect, particularly amid recent displacements, as families may be forced to prioritize their own children over others due to limited space and resources.

In Orkney, islanders continue with their Saturday vigils on the Kirk Green, St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall between 1 and 2pm. Their campaign calling for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the unhindered delivery of aid, is the longest running demonstration in Orkney’s history. There has never been a public display of activism like it in the islands. It shows the determination and resolve of the campaigners to keep going until there is a permanent ceasefire. The vigils have been held for over 10 months and welcome all to join them who wish to see an end to the horrendous violence being meted out on the civilian population.

In the most recent film by Mike Robertson, people at the vigil explain why they feel it is important to attend it.

Fiona Grahame