Gaza’s Ministry of Health warned that Israel’s ban on polio vaccines entering Palestinian enclaves is “sanitary disaster”.

“Israel’s ban on polio vaccines entering Gaza is a “time bomb” threatening to spread the epidemic,” the ministry said in a statement.

It added: “(This policy) insists on indirect targeting children in the Gaza Strip.”

The ministry warned that the risk of refusing to allow polio vaccines to enter Gaza has undermined efforts to combat the disease in the territory in the past few months.

“If the vaccine ban continues, there is a risk of permanent paralysis and chronic disability among 602,000 children in Gaza.”

The ministry called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to allow the use of polio vaccines in war revelry territory. It also calls for safe passage to ensure that children in various parts of Gaza can get vaccinated. ”

Human rights groups and international agencies have repeatedly warned of Israel’s severe blockade on Gaza, which has led to widespread hunger and the collapse of basic services.

Nearly 50,700 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children, have been killed in the enclaves since October 2023 in a brutal Israeli attack.

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant last November against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for his war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces genocide cases by the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.