WHO Vaccination Campaign in Gaza Gains Momentum Amid Ceasefire
- The World Health Organization launched a major vaccination drive in Gaza, aiming to reach over 40,000 children during the fragile ceasefire
- More than 10,000 children under the age of three were already immunised in the first phase of the campaign
- The effort, backed by UNICEF and UNRWA, comes as Gaza struggles to rebuild its shattered health system after years of conflict
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday that it aimed to vaccinate more than 40,000 children in Gaza against a range of diseases, taking advantage of the fragile ceasefire currently in place.
Officials said that more than 10,000 children under the age of three had already received vaccines in the first eight days of the campaign, which began on November 9.
Source: Twitter
Phase one extended to protect children
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that phase one of the programme had been extended until Saturday.
He explained that the initiative sought to protect children against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, polio, rotavirus, and pneumonia.
He stated:
“I am encouraged to see that the ceasefire continues to hold, as it allows the WHO and its partners to intensify essential health services across Gaza and support the necessary re-equipment and reconstruction of its devastated health system.”
UNICEF and UNRWA join vaccination effort
Phases two and three of the campaign are scheduled for December and January.
These stages are being organised in collaboration with UNICEF, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), and the health ministry in Gaza, which is under Hamas control.
Ceasefire endorsed by UN Security Council
The UN Security Council voted on Monday to endorse the plan of US President Donald Trump, which facilitated the establishment of a ceasefire on October 10 between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Although the truce has held, reports noted that it had already been marked by several outbreaks of violence in the Palestinian territory.
Gaza has been devastated by more than two years of hostilities, which were triggered by the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7, 2023.
Heavy toll on civilians
That attack resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count of official data.
In response, the Israeli military launched a retaliatory campaign that has killed more than 69,500 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
The ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN, did not specify the number of combatants among the dead but reported that more than half of the victims were minors and women.
Source: Getty Images
UN security council endorses Trump’s gaza peace plan
Legit.ng earlier reported that the UN Security Council on November 17, 2025, voted to adopt a US-drafted resolution endorsing President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza.
The resolution authorised the creation of an international stabilisation force for the Palestinian enclave, a move seen as crucial to legitimising a transitional governance body and reassuring countries considering sending troops.
Source: Legit.ng
