On 16 January 2026, the second round of a routine immunization catch-up campaign began in the Gaza Strip, led by UNICEF, UNRWA, WHO, and partners in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. Scheduled from 18 to 29 January 2026, the campaign targets children under the age of three, aiming to strengthen protection against vaccine-preventable diseases following two years of conflict and disruptions to health services. The campaign is particularly important as winter conditions, heavy rainfall, overcrowding, and poor water and sanitation increase the risk of disease outbreaks.
Vaccination activities are being carried out by 170 teams at 129 health facilities, with seven mobile teams deployed to hard-to-reach communities across the Gaza Strip. Over 250 social mobilizers are supporting the efforts, coordinated by the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, WHO, and UNRWA, to ensure that all eligible children are reached.
The first round of the campaign, conducted from 9 to 20 November 2025, successfully vaccinated over 14,000 children against diseases including measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, polio, rotavirus, and pneumonia. Nearly a quarter of the children had missed scheduled doses or entire vaccine series, highlighting the importance of catch-up campaigns in closing immunity gaps caused by the conflict. UNICEF pre-positioned vaccines and essential cold chain equipment for three rounds of the campaign and trained over 450 health workers and support staff to support the effort.
The campaign is being implemented in close partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. To ensure children complete the full course of required vaccinations and to restore routine immunization, a third and final round of the campaign is planned for April 2026.
Despite these efforts, the situation in the Gaza Strip remains extremely challenging for children and families. Since the ceasefire began, over 1,246 people have been injured and 449 killed, including more than 100 children, putting further strain on already overstretched health services. Only about half of the Gaza Strip’s 36 hospitals are partially functional, and delays in the entry of laboratory equipment classified as dual-use continue to hinder diagnostic capacity.
As the second round of the catch-up campaign progresses, WHO and UNICEF emphasize the urgent need for the protection of civilians, sustained and unimpeded access across Gaza, and timely entry of medical supplies and equipment, including a revitalized cold chain system. Both agencies call on all parties to respect the ceasefire and work toward lasting peace to safeguard the health and well-being of children in the region.
