Gaza’s Health Ministry warns of ‘health disaster’ amid Israeli ban on polio vaccines

Gaza's Health Ministry warned Sunday of a "health disaster" over Israel's ban on the entry of polio vaccines into the Palestinian enclave.

"The Israeli ban on the entry of polio vaccines into Gaza is a 'time bomb' that threatens to spread the epidemic," the ministry said in a statement.

"(This policy) is an insistence on indirectly targeting children in the Gaza Strip," it added.

The ministry warned that refusal to allow polio vaccines into Gaza risks undermining efforts over the past months to combat the disease in the territory.

"Over 602,000 children in Gaza are at risk of permanent paralysis and chronic disabilities if the ban on vaccines continues," it said.

The ministry appealed to the international community to pile pressure on Israel to allow access to the polio vaccines in the war-ravaged territory. It also called for safe passages across Gaza "to ensure that children in all areas of Gaza can be vaccinated."

Human rights organizations, along with international bodies, have repeatedly warned of severe consequences from Israel's tight blockade of Gaza, which has led to widespread hunger and a collapse of basic services.

Nearly 50,700 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.