UNRWA Warns 1 in 5 Gaza Children Missed Basic Vaccinations as Aid Access Remains Severely Restricted

The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has sounded the alarm over Gaza’s worsening health crisis, revealing that one in every five children in the enclave has not received essential vaccinations after two years of war. 

The agency attributed the alarming gap in immunization coverage to the collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system and the continued Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid and medical supplies entering the territory.

UNRWA said that the lack of vaccines, clean water, and medical equipment has put hundreds of thousands of children at risk of preventable diseases, warning that the situation could deteriorate further as winter approaches.

The warning comes as Palestinian civil society organizations decry the limited flow of aid into Gaza, describing it as far below what is needed to meet basic humanitarian needs.

Amjad Al-Shawa, Director of the Palestinian NGOs Network, said that only 20 to 30 percent of Gaza’s actual needs are currently being met, as Israel continues to impose severe restrictions on border crossings and aid convoys.

“The quantities of aid that have entered so far do not reflect the scale of the tragedy the Palestinian people have been enduring for months,” Al-Shawa told Alqahera News Channel.

He described the shelter crisis as one of the most pressing issues, noting that while more than 1.5 million people have lost their homes, only a few thousand tents have been delivered—far short of the 300,000 needed to house displaced families and replace worn-out shelters.

Al-Shawa also highlighted the dangerous delay in aid deliveries, saying that Israeli authorities have prevented the entry of humanitarian convoys, including around 600 UNRWA trucks waiting at border crossings since February, along with thousands more from other international organizations.

With the onset of winter, both UNRWA and Palestinian aid groups are warning that the shortages of food, shelter materials, and medical supplies could lead to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe unless aid access is urgently expanded.