Friday, November 7, 2025 -In response to the ongoing conflict and blockade in the Gaza Strip, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has reported that one in five children in the territory has missed essential vaccinations over the past two years.
According to a statement issued on the social media platform X, the agency has received reports indicating that one in every five children in Gaza has been affected by this vaccination gap.The announcement coincides with the upcoming launch of a catch-up vaccination campaign by the Ministry of Health, UNRWA, and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.
This campaign is scheduled to commence on Sunday and will target 44,000 children in Gaza. The primary objectives of the campaign are to provide life-saving vaccines and conduct screenings for malnutrition.Gaza’s population comprises approximately 980,000 individuals, with children representing 47% of the total. This figure is based on a report released by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in April 2025.
The ongoing conflict has had a profound impact on Gaza’s healthcare system, leading to its near-total collapse. Consequently, immunization programs have been suspended, resulting in the unvaccination of hundreds of thousands of children.
Prior to the escalation of the conflict, health facilities managed by the Ministry of Health and UNRWA provided regular monthly immunizations.
However, due to Israeli restrictions and the ban on medical imports, vaccine supplies dwindled, necessitating the suspension of these immunization efforts.
Over the past two years, the Health Ministry and international organizations have conducted only two emergency polio vaccination campaigns: on September 1, 2024, and February 22, 2025.
According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the upcoming campaign will distribute vaccines through 24 health centers and medical points across the Gaza Strip as part of efforts to restore essential healthcare services for children.
Since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2023, Gaza’s healthcare sector has been experiencing significant challenges in recovering despite severe shortages of supplies, facilities, and equipment.Ismail al-Thawabteh, director of the government media office in Gaza, expressed to Anadolu on Sunday that Israel has violated the ceasefire and its humanitarian provisions by restricting the entry of medical supplies among the limited humanitarian aid permitted into the enclave.
In parallel, Munir al-Barsh, director general of Gaza’s Health Ministry, announced on Telegram that Israel continues to obstruct the entry of critical medications, including those intended for children suffering from malnutrition. While allowing in only limited primary-care medications, it has denied supplies for operating rooms and emergency wards.
Since May 2024, Israel has maintained control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, having destroyed and burned its facilities and prohibiting travel through it. This action has exacerbated the humanitarian and medical crisis in the enclave.
Since October 2023, Israel has resulted in the deaths of approximately 69,000 individuals, predominantly women and children, and injured over 170,600 others through attacks in Gaza.
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