AT LEAST 600,000 CHILDREN AT RISK OF ‘PERMANENT PARALYSIS’ IN GAZA: MINISTRY

Tue 22 April 2025:

Gaza’s Health Ministry has warned that Israel’s continued blockade on medical supplies has prevented the entry of polio vaccines, putting more than half a million children at risk.

The ban has halted the implementation of Phase 4 of the ministry’s polio prevention campaign, a statement said, leaving 602,000 children vulnerable to “permanent paralysis and chronic disabilities”.

Officials say the health consequences could be catastrophic.

“Children in Gaza are at risk of serious and unprecedented health complications due to the lack of adequate nutrition and drinking water,” the ministry added.

Israel’s ongoing blockade has strangled the flow of medical aid into the besieged enclave since early March, with the United Nations warning of a deepening humanitarian collapse.

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Over half of cancer and blood disease medicines unavailable in Gaza: Report

Hospitals across Gaza are on the brink of collapse as medicine and supply stocks continue to dwindle under Israel’s full closure of border crossings, now in its seventh week.

More than 37 percent of essential medicines and 59 percent of medical disposables are no longer available, according to Alaa Hilles, who heads the hospital pharmacy department at Gaza’s Health Ministry.

He told Anadolu the shortages have disrupted care across all services, including oncology and haematology. “Fifty-four percent of medicines for cancer and blood diseases are unavailable,” Hilles said.

Dialysis patients are also at risk, with more than 24 percent of life-saving treatments currently missing. “We are seeking medical alternatives, but in many cases, switching drugs can put patients’ lives at risk,” he said.

On Monday, the UN marked 50 days since Israel sealed Gaza’s crossings. “Not a single truck has entered since early March – no matter how critical the supplies,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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