Gaza, MINA – UNICEF has accused Israel of blocking essential humanitarian supplies, including syringes for child vaccinations and bottles of baby formula, from entering Gaza, according to a Reuters report on Tuesday.
The UN agency said that while it has launched a mass vaccination campaign for children amid a fragile ceasefire, it faces serious obstacles in obtaining 1.6 million syringes and solar-powered refrigerators to safely store vaccine vials. The supplies have been awaiting customs clearance since August.
“Both the syringes and the refrigerators are considered dual-use by Israel, and we’re finding it very hard to get them through clearances and inspections, yet they are urgent,” UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires said.
Israel classifies certain items as “dual-use,” meaning they could be repurposed for military as well as civilian use.
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COGAT, the Israeli military body overseeing aid transfers into Gaza, denied blocking the items, saying Israel does not prevent the entry of syringes or refrigeration equipment. It stated that extra caution is applied to prevent Hamas from exploiting aid for military purposes and that “alternative solutions” are offered to humanitarian organizations, though no further details were provided.
UNICEF began the first of three rounds of catch-up immunizations on Sunday, aiming to reach more than 40,000 children under three years old who missed routine vaccines for polio, measles, and pneumonia due to two years of conflict in Gaza. The first day of the campaign vaccinated over 2,400 children.
“The vaccination campaign has started, but we have two rounds to go, and for that we need more supplies,” Pires said.
He added that while more aid is entering Gaza overall, several critical items remain restricted by Israeli authorities, including nearly one million bottles of ready-to-use infant formula and spare parts for water trucks.
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“That’s nearly one million bottles that could be reaching children who have been suffering from different levels of malnutrition,” he told reporters in Geneva.
Although hundreds of aid trucks, carrying food, medicine, water, and shelter materials cross into Gaza daily, humanitarian agencies say the flow remains insufficient for the needs of over two million displaced and malnourished civilians.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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