UNICEF Says Israel Blocking Entry of Vital Child Vaccination Supplies Into Gaza

UNICEF Says Israel Blocking Entry of Vital Child Vaccination Supplies Into Gaza

Geneva, Nov 12: UNICEF warned on Tuesday that critical humanitarian supplies — including syringes for child vaccinations and bottles of infant formula — are being denied entry into Gaza by Israeli authorities, hampering relief efforts in the war-ravaged territory.

The agency said it’s struggling to deliver 1.6 million syringes and solar-powered refrigerators needed to store vaccines as part of a large-scale immunisation drive for children. The supplies have been waiting for customs clearance since August, UNICEF noted.

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“Both the syringes and the refrigerators are being classified as dual-use items by Israel, which means they’re considered to have possible military as well as civilian applications,” UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires told reporters in Geneva. “These are lifesaving items, and we’re finding it very difficult to get them through inspections and clearances — yet they’re urgently needed.”

Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which oversees aid flows into Gaza, did not respond to requests for comment. The body has previously said it does not restrict food, medical supplies, water, or shelter materials and has accused Hamas of diverting humanitarian aid — allegations the militant group denies.

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UNICEF launched the first phase of a three-round catch-up vaccination campaign on Sunday to reach more than 40,000 children under the age of three who missed routine immunisations for polio, measles, and pneumonia during two years of war.

On its opening day, health workers managed to vaccinate over 2,400 children, but officials say the campaign could stall without new supplies. “The vaccination campaign has started, but we still have two rounds to go, and for that we need more supplies,” Pires said.

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Essential Aid Still Stuck

While UNICEF acknowledged that overall humanitarian access to Gaza has improved under a fragile ceasefire that began on October 10, it said critical items continue to be blocked at Israeli crossings. Among them are 938,000 bottles of ready-to-use infant formula and spare parts for water trucks.

“That’s nearly one million bottles that could be reaching children suffering from various levels of malnutrition,” Pires said.

The truce, brokered to allow a surge of humanitarian aid into the enclave, has not yet delivered the scale of assistance needed, aid agencies say. Roughly 2 million people — most of Gaza’s population — remain displaced, malnourished, and dependent on limited aid deliveries that struggle to meet even basic needs.

Despite the partial flow of assistance, UNICEF officials warned that continued restrictions on key supplies threaten to undermine health efforts for children already living through one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

(Refrences from Reuters)