Gaza Strip: Medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported that 602,000 children are at risk of permanent paralysis and chronic disabilities unless the Israeli occupation allows the entry of polio vaccines, which have been halted for 40 days.

According to Qatar News Agency, the blockade on vaccines hampers efforts to implement the fourth phase of the polio prevention campaign. The sources added that Gaza's children are facing serious and unprecedented health complications due to the lack of proper nutrition and drinking water.

Polio vaccination campaigns are an essential part of public health programs carried out by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in cooperation with international organizations such as UNICEF and the World Health Organization. Given the exceptional conditions in the Gaza Strip due to the ongoing siege and Israeli aggression, vaccination campaigns are implemented in phases to ensure that as many children as possible are reached.

From 2022, three phases of the national polio vaccination campaign have been launched in Gaza, targeting children from infancy up to 5 years old. Despite logistical challenges, the campaign has achieved relatively wide coverage.

The fourth phase was intended to enhance community immunity and prevent the spread of the virus, but the Israeli occupation's blockade on vaccine entry for over 40 days has delayed the start of this phase, endangering the lives of more than 600,000 children.