Following over a month of warnings, Gaza recorded its first case of polio since the highly contagious virus was eradicated there 25 years ago, prompting a Friday call by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres for a temporary truce to enable a vaccination drive in the embattled strip.

The Gaza Health Ministry said Friday that an 10-month-old infant in the central city of Deir al-Balah “who has not received any polio vaccine dose” has tested positive for the virus, which often causes paralysis and can be fatal. The ministry said the baby is one of “a number of children” who have presented with symptoms consistent with polio in recent days.

“The continued brutal Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has caused a health disaster as witnessed by international organizations,” the ministry added, citing “the lack of basic hygiene needs, the lack of sanitation services, the accumulation of waste on the streets and around the shelters of the displaced, and the lack of safe drinking water” as factors that “have created a conducive environment for outbreaks.”

Responding to the news, Guterres implored Israeli and Palestinian forces to lay down their arms so that U.N. humanitarian aid workers can launch a campaign to vaccinate half a million Gazan children.

“I am appealing to all parties to provide concrete assurances right away guaranteeing humanitarian pauses for the campaign,” he told reporters at the U.N. headquarters in New York.

“Let’s be clear: The ultimate vaccine for polio is peace and an immediate humanitarian cease-fire,” Guterres stressed. “But in any case, a polio pause is a must.”

As the poliovirus is now circulating in Gaza, the @UN is poised to launch a vaccine campaign for more than 640,000 children.

It's impossible to conduct a polio vaccination campaign amid a raging war.

Let’s be clear: The ultimate vaccine for polio in Gaza is peace and an… pic.twitter.com/gle5FZDzTt

— António Guterres........

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