By Nour Mahd Ali Abuaisha and Rania Abu Shamala
GAZA CITY, Palestine/ISTANBUL (AA) – Gaza’s Health Ministry launched Sunday a catch-up vaccination campaign targeting children under the age of three who missed their basic vaccination during Israel’s 2-year war on the enclave.
Thousands of Palestinians accompanied their children to medical centers and health points designated by the ministry to receive the vaccines and strengthen their children’s immunity, according to Anadolu reporters.
Children make up 47% of Gaza’s total population, reaching around 980,000 individuals, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics last April.
In a statement, the ministry said the campaign is being implemented in cooperation with the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
On Friday, UNRWA said the campaign aims to reach 44,000 children in Gaza to administer life-saving vaccines and conduct malnutrition screenings.
The agency added in its statement that reports indicate that one in every five children in Gaza has missed essential vaccines.
The campaign is set to last 10 days and will be carried out in three stages, each separated by a one-month interval, the Health Ministry noted.
During the Israeli war, the Health Ministry, in cooperation with international organizations, launched two emergency vaccination drives against polio, the first on Sept. 1, 2024, and the second on Feb. 22, 2025.
According to the latest data from the ministry, shortages in essential medicines exceed 56%, while medical supply shortages reach about 65%.
The Gaza Media Office has accused Israel of preventing the entry of medicines and medical supplies into Gaza in violation of a ceasefire agreement that took effect on Oct. 10.
Israel has killed more than 69,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 170,600 others in a brutal assault in Gaza since October 2023.