UNICEF says 2,400 children reached on first day of Gaza vaccination drive

GENEVA

UNICEF said on Tuesday that 2,400 children in Gaza have already been reached with multiple vaccines on the first day of its ongoing catch-up immunization, nutrition, and health campaign aimed at protecting children who missed routine vaccines during two years of Israeli war.

The campaign, carried out with the WHO and partners, targets over 40,000 children under three and will be conducted in three rounds, with the first taking place from Nov. 9-18 and further planned for December and January.

"We have procured 1 million vaccines and got them across and into Gaza to protect children against deadly preventable diseases such as polio, measles and pneumonia," UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires told journalists in Geneva.

The campaign also includes nutrition screenings and treatment for malnourished children and operates through 149 health facilities and 10 mobile units, supported by more than 450 health workers trained.

Pires emphasized that Gaza once had 98% vaccination coverage and 55 immunization sites, but "coverage has fallen below 70% with 31 vaccination facilities destroyed or damaged." He described the current effort as "the first step towards restoring pre-conflict vaccination levels and rebuilding Gaza's damaged health system," warning that this will require "important and urgent donor support."

So far, no security incidents have been reported affecting the campaign, which Pires called "good news," though he noted its success depends on "a sustained ceasefire and the protection of humanitarian workers and families."

Despite a recent increase in aid flows, a 260% rise in the number of pallets entering Gaza compared to before the ceasefire last month, UNICEF continues to face major restrictions.

"We have brought 1.6 million syringes, the vast majority still outside Gaza," he said, adding that auto-disable syringes and solar-powered refrigerators remain blocked or awaiting clearance, as they are deemed dual-use by Israeli authorities.

"Yet, they are urgent," he said.

Regarding UNICEF's winterization response, he said it is underway with 38,000 winter clothing kits and 160,000 blankets already distributed. However, "essential items such as maternity kits and nearly one million bottles of infant formula remain withheld," Pires said.

"When the guns go silent, humanitarian workers are able to turn the situation around rather quickly," Pires said. "But still, there's a lot of work to do. We can't even begin to solve the problem that was caused by two years of war, violence, deprivation and lack of access in a couple of months."

He stressed that "it's a long road ahead, and we're still finding it difficult to get some very essential supplies through," calling for unrestricted humanitarian access to sustain progress in Gaza.