WHO intensifies vaccination drive for children in Gaza amidst fragile ceasefire

Thursday 20 November 2025 - 07:50

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced its target to vaccinate over 40,000 children in Gaza against a range of diseases, leveraging a tenuous ceasefire to deliver critical healthcare.

Since the launch of the first phase of the campaign on November 9, more than 10,000 children under the age of three have already been immunized. The program aims to protect against illnesses such as measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, polio, rotavirus, and pneumonia.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that the initial phase of the campaign has been extended until Saturday to maximize its reach. The subsequent phases, conducted in partnership with UNICEF, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and Gaza’s health ministry, are slated for December and January.

Tedros expressed optimism about the ongoing ceasefire, stating that it has enabled WHO and its collaborators to ramp up essential healthcare services and begin addressing the severe damage inflicted on Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure.

The ceasefire, brokered on October 10 with the endorsement of the United Nations Security Council, followed over two years of hostilities that have left Gaza in ruins. However, sporadic violence continues to challenge the stability of the truce. The conflict, which erupted in October 2023, has resulted in the deaths of over 69,500 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry and UN reports.

The vaccination drive is a critical step in mitigating the health crisis in Gaza, where sustained violence and a collapsing healthcare system have left residents vulnerable to disease outbreaks.