Israel threatens Polio vaccination campaign in Gaza

Gaza (Quds News Network)- The Government Media Office has issued an urgent warning about Israel’s dangerous efforts to sabotage the polio vaccination campaign across the Gaza Strip. These actions, the office says, pose a severe risk to public health and may lead to a humanitarian disaster.

In a statement obtained by Quds News Network, the office revealed that the Israeli military is continuing to block large quantities of fuel needed to support the vaccination campaign. The fuel is crucial for powering vehicles used to transport medical teams, both fixed and mobile, across the strip. Without this fuel, the vaccination campaign is at risk of collapse, jeopardizing efforts to protect thousands of children from polio.

The ongoing fuel blockade also threatens to shut down hospitals and medical centers in Gaza within the next 24 hours, including the Indonesian Hospital and Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. These facilities are home to numerous critical patients, including children in intensive care and neonatal units, and cannot function without electricity.

The office stated that Israel is deliberately obstructing the vaccination campaign and the broader healthcare system in Gaza, endangering the success of the campaign, which is being overseen by the Ministry of Health in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and UNRWA.

The Government Media Office placed full responsibility for the potential spread of polio on both Israel and the US, accusing them of actively disrupting the vaccination efforts and the broader healthcare services in Gaza. The office called on the international community and humanitarian organizations to pressure Israel to exempt the healthcare sector from its military actions and ensure the success of the vaccination campaign.

Despite these challenges, the polio vaccination campaign officially launched today, with 230 medical teams operating across 177 fixed centers in Gaza and northern Gaza. The campaign aims to vaccinate approximately 14,000 children aged one day to ten years. Mobile teams are also traveling to remote areas to ensure all children have access to the vaccine.

Initial reports suggest that public response to the campaign has been strong, with high turnout at vaccination centers. Teams of vaccinators, health educators, and registrars are working together to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the program. A public health awareness campaign has also been running to educate families about the importance and safety of the vaccine.

However, the campaign faced a serious setback yesterday when the Israeli military halted a UN convoy carrying polio vaccines to northern Gaza. The convoy was held for over eight hours, despite prior coordination, and UN personnel were threatened at gunpoint near Wadi Gaza checkpoint.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor condemned Israel’s actions, stating that they are severely undermining the polio vaccination campaign at a time when the risk of an outbreak is extremely high. The group also documented Israeli airstrikes in southern Gaza that are disrupting vaccination efforts.

The human rights group further reported that 50% of essential medicines in Gaza are now unavailable, and primary healthcare centers are running critically low on supplies, including insulin. Routine vaccines like Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), used to protect children from tuberculosis, and DTP vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough, are nearly exhausted, putting newborns at serious risk.