A vaccination campaign will be launched in the Gaza Strip next Sunday targeting children under the age of three, to make up for the basic vaccines they missed and boost community immunity.
This comes two years after the Israeli war of annihilation, which caused the almost complete collapse of the health system and the disruption of immunization programs, depriving hundreds of thousands of children of obtaining their vaccinations.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said in a statement yesterday, Tuesday, that the catch-up vaccination campaign will begin next Sunday and continue for 10 days, and will be implemented in 3 stages, each one one month apart.
She explained that the vaccines will be available through 150 health centers affiliated with the Ministry of Health, UNRWA, the Palestinian Red Crescent, and civil and international institutions operating in the sector.
She stressed that the campaign aims to strengthen the national program for vaccinating children under the age of three, stressing that immunization is the first and last line of defense against epidemics and diseases that threaten the lives of children who have missed essential vaccine doses.
At the beginning of the genocide war, health facilities affiliated with the Ministry of Health and UNRWA provided monthly vaccinations to children within their general stock, but the availability of these vaccinations ran out as a result of the Israeli siege and the prevention of the entry of medical supplies, which prevented this from continuing.
Within two years of the genocide, the Ministry, in cooperation with international organizations, launched two emergency vaccination campaigns against polio only, the first of which was launched on September 1, 2024, and the second on February 22, 2025.
The day before yesterday, Monday, the Ministry of Health in Gaza called on the Palestinians to cooperate with the health teams implementing the catch-up vaccination campaign, and to take their children to complete their doses, stressing the need to protect children from diseases through these vaccinations.
The war of extermination ended with the entry into force of the ceasefire agreement on October 10, as various vital sectors – including health – are trying to return to life despite the lack of capabilities, equipment and facilities.
Last Sunday, the Director General of the Government Media Office in Gaza, Ismail Al-Thawabta, said in a statement to Anadolu Agency that Israel had violated the ceasefire agreement and its humanitarian protocol, including not allowing the entry of medicines and medical supplies as part of the limited humanitarian aid arriving.
The Director General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Munir Al-Bursh, said in a post on Telegram that the occupation insists on preventing the entry of medicines and medical supplies despite the urgent need for them.
Prevent the entry of medication
Al-Barsh continued that the occupation insists on preventing the entry of medicine and medical supplies, and only allows some primary care medications, while preventing operating room and emergency room medications.
He explained that Israel also prevents the entry of medicines used to treat children affected by famine, who need specialized treatments and solutions of different concentrations.
This obstruction comes in light of Israel’s control over the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing since May 2024, after it destroyed and burned its buildings and prevented Palestinians from traveling through it, which exacerbated the suffering of the sick and those in critical condition and deepened the humanitarian crisis in the Strip.
According to the government media office, the aid that Israel allowed to enter after the agreement took effect remained limited. From last October 10 until the end of the same month, only 3,203 trucks entered out of 13,200 trucks that were supposed to enter, at a rate of 600 trucks per day, with a compliance rate not exceeding 24%.
Two years of Israeli genocide left more than 68,000 martyrs, more than 170,000 wounded, and the destruction of 90% of civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, with initial losses amounting to $70 billion.