WHO Seeks to Vaccinate 40,000 Gaza Children During Ceasefire

The World Health Organization launched an intensified vaccination drive in Gaza during a ceasefire period, aiming to immunize more than 40,000 children against a suite of childhood diseases before the window closed. The push, which ran through November 22 in its first phase, built on an initial effort that had already administered vaccines to over 10,000 children under age three in the campaign's earliest days.

The campaign targeted routine immunizations that are critical in crowded and disrupted environments, including vaccinations against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, polio, rotavirus and pneumococcal disease. Health officials framed the operation as an immediate effort to avert outbreaks that could flourish in shelters and damaged communities where health services and sanitation have been severely weakened.

Delivering routine vaccines during active conflict posed multiple practical challenges. The WHO said logistics, security coordination and availability of medical supplies were key constraints as teams worked under fragile access arrangements. Cold chain requirements for certain vaccines required careful handling and transport, and movement of health teams depended on assurances from parties to the fighting that vaccination sites and staff would be protected.

The scale of displacement and damage to health infrastructure in Gaza raised urgency for the campaign. Overcrowded shelters and homes with disrupted water and sanitation increase the risk that vaccine preventable diseases will spread quickly and overwhelm the remaining health facilities. Measles and polio are particular concerns because of their high transmissibility and, in the case of polio, the potential for long term paralysis. Routine immunization programs that were interrupted by months of conflict left many children vulnerable, making catch up vaccination a public health priority.

Humanitarian agencies and health authorities faced the dual task of delivering vaccines and ensuring safe, equitable access. The WHO emphasized that success depended on coordinated security arrangements and uninterrupted supplies of vaccines and consumables. The extended first phase through November 22 was designed to maximize the number of children reached while the ceasefire window held, but officials indicated that any resumption of hostilities could stall or reverse progress.

Public health experts note that short ceasefires offer a narrow opportunity to shore up basic preventive services, but sustained access is essential for durable protection. Vaccination campaigns can stop or slow outbreaks in the short term, yet they do not substitute for sustained primary care, surveillance and cold chain systems that underpin routine immunization. In Gaza, where infrastructure damage has been extensive, the challenge will be maintaining coverage beyond the brief campaign.

The WHO campaign underscored a broader ethical and practical dilemma in conflict settings. Health interventions rely on humanitarian corridors, respect for medical neutrality and reliable logistics. When those conditions are intermittent, the capacity to protect children from preventable disease remains precarious, and the international community faces hard choices about how to secure continued access to basic health services amid ongoing instability.