Gaza: More than 600,000 children in Gaza now face the threat of permanent paralysis and chronic disability as Israel’s blockade continues to prevent the entry of essential medical supplies, including polio vaccines.
On April 22, 2025, Gaza’s Health Ministry issued a stark warning, stating that the blockade has halted Phase 4 of the polio prevention campaign. Without these vaccines, 602,000 children remain exposed to the life-altering consequences of the disease.
Officials have described the health implications as potentially catastrophic. The ministry highlighted that, alongside the vaccine shortage, children are also suffering from severe malnutrition and a lack of clean drinking water. These conditions make them even more vulnerable to infection and long-term health damage.
Israel’s blockade on Gaza, which intensified in early March, has severely restricted humanitarian aid and medical shipments into the enclave. The United Nations has already warned that the situation is spiraling into a full-scale humanitarian collapse. With medical systems strained and no clear end to the blockade, healthcare providers in Gaza fear they will be unable to protect the most vulnerable—its children—from preventable diseases.
