Israel Tightens Gaza Blockade: Polio Threatens Over 600,000 Children

Israel’s tightened blockade on Gaza, enforced since early March, has severed access to critical medical supplies, halting a vital polio vaccination campaign and endangering over 600,000 children, Gaza’s health ministry warned on Tuesday.

With all 25 U.N.-supported bakeries closed and healthcare infrastructure collapsing, the enclave’s 2.3 million residents face a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Polio Campaign Stalled, Children at Risk

The blockade has stopped Phase 4 of a U.N.-backed polio prevention campaign, leaving 602,000 children vulnerable to “permanent paralysis and chronic disabilities,” according to Gaza’s health ministry.

If polio vaccines don’t arrive immediately, “we anticipate a real catastrophe. Children and patients must not be used as cards of political blackmail,” ministry spokesperson Khalil Deqran said.

The ministry also reported that 60,000 children are showing malnutrition symptoms, worsened by shortages of food and clean water, heightening risks of severe health complications.

Escalating Violence and Humanitarian Collapse

Since resuming military operations on March 18 after a ceasefire collapsed, Israel has intensified strikes across Gaza, killing over 1,600 Palestinians, per local health authorities.

Airstrikes have targeted homes, tent encampments, and equipment used to clear rubble, hindering recovery efforts.

The blockade has displaced hundreds of thousands, with Israel seizing parts of Gaza as a “buffer zone,” forcing most residents into makeshift tents amid uninhabitable ruins.

The United Nations has warned of a deepening humanitarian collapse, with starvation looming as aid remains blocked.

Urgent Calls for Action

Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, denounced the blockade as “collective punishment,” stating, “The siege must be lifted, supplies must flow in, the hostages must be released, the ceasefire must resume.”

In Cairo, a Hamas delegation is discussing a 5-7-year truce involving hostage releases, but Israel’s demand for Hamas’s disarmament stalls progress.

Immediate action is needed to restore medical and humanitarian aid to Gaza and advance ceasefire negotiations to prevent a public health crisis.