File Photo: A young child is restrained before receiving a vaccination for polio in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip AFP
The upcoming catch-up campaign, led by WHO with UNICEF, UNRWA, and the Gaza Ministry of Health, aims to inoculate children against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, polio, rotavirus, and pneumonia.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed that maintaining the current ceasefire is essential to ensure the safety and continuity of humanitarian operations, including reaching children deprived of life-saving health services during Israel’s war and blockade.
The WHO-led campaign comes amid a ceasefire in the Gaza war that was brokered by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the US on 9 October.
UNICEF Special Representative in the State of Palestine Jonathan Veitch said, "After two years of relentless violence that claimed the lives of more than 20,000 children in the Gaza Strip, we finally have an opportunity to protect those who survived."
He added, "Vaccinating every child, and supporting their health and nutrition, is not just a humanitarian intervention; it is a moral imperative. It is how we safeguard the future of children born into catastrophe and begin to rebuild hope in the midst of devastation."
As part of the plan, WHO is rehabilitating 20 damaged or destroyed health facilities, increasing service points, and restoring critical health infrastructure disrupted by the war.
Since October 2023, the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza has targeted and destroyed hospitals, medical facilities, aid workers, and health staff, leaving more than 2.2 million Palestinians without healthcare services.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, non-stop bombardment has killed nearly 70,000 Palestinians and injured more than 170,000, mostly women and children.
A total Israeli blockade on Gaza from March to October has prompted the UN to declare famine in Gaza, affecting over 500,000 people in the north and threatening to spread.
The nine-month blockade has worsened the crisis, despite brief partial lifts under international pressure on Tel Aviv, and fueled a polio outbreak as destroyed infrastructure and water systems allowed the disease to spread.
Previous vaccination campaigns reached 560,000 children in September 2024, 591,700 in October 2024, and over 591,000 in February 2025.
Current estimates indicate one in five children under three is zero-dose or has missed vaccinations, putting them at risk of disease outbreaks
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