The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which coordinates humanitarian aid entering Gaza, said on November 6 that 1.1 million vaccines have been administered as part of a polio vaccination campaign. This marks the completion of a two-phase campaign that vaccinated 90 percent of the children in Gaza, COGAT and the IDF said in a statement. The polio vaccination effort has been one of several major humanitarian operations in Gaza that have taken place since the war began in October 2023. These operations have included airdrops of aid and the short-lived US-built temporary pier on the coast.
The polio campaign began in August, but it faced delays due to continued fighting between Israel and Hamas. Hamas still controls swaths of Gaza, including parts of northern Gaza and central Gaza, and the group maintains some elements in Khan Younis and near Rafah in southern Gaza. The World Health Organization (WHO) concluded in September that 90 percent of children in Gaza—roughly 550,000—received the first dose of the vaccines.
During August and September, most IDF operations in Gaza were very low in intensity, and Israeli forces only controlled two corridors in the region, the Netzarim Corridor south of Gaza City and the Philadelphi Corridor on the Egyptian border. The reduced fighting likely enabled the vaccination campaign to proceed relatively smoothly. In October, the IDF launched a major operation into northern Gaza’s Jabaliya, asking around 70,000 civilians to move south from the area.
COGAT said on November 6 that the second round of the polio vaccination campaign was complete, with “hundreds of thousands of children vaccinated, hundreds of medical teams, and tactical pauses implemented.” COGAT worked with WHO and UNICEF on the campaign. “We will continue to expand our efforts to facilitate humanitarian responses, particularly in the medical field,” COGAT said.
Data released by the IDF and COGAT revealed that a “total of 1,107,541 vaccinations for children across Gaza were administered.” These included “211,170 in northern Gaza; 379,361 vaccinations in central Gaza; and 517,070 vaccinations in southern Gaza.” The numbers appear to give an insight into the number of children living in these three areas, indicating approximately 100,000 minors live in northern Gaza—some likely included in the group evacuated from Jabaliya. Others live in Gaza City, as well as nearby neighborhoods such as Rimal, Daraj, Tuffah, and possibly Shati and Zeitun. The latter two areas were impacted more seriously by fighting over the past year. From this correspondent’s experience driving with the IDF in areas near Beit Lahiya and north of Gaza City closer to the Israeli border, civilians do not appear to be in those areas.
The data also appear to show that 180,000 children live in central Gaza, which has been relatively untouched by significant IDF operations. In addition, around half of Gaza’s children now reside in the Mawasi Humanitarian Area in southern Gaza near the coast.
The IDF and COGAT said the successful vaccination campaign came about through the coordination and entry of “polio specialists to Gaza, as well as the delivery of medical and logistical equipment, refrigeration equipment to store and transport the vaccines, and essential vitamins.” Enough polio vaccines were provided to vaccinate 4.8 million people, possibly about twice the number of individuals in Gaza. “In addition, 619,332 vials of vaccines against a series of diseases and epidemics have been delivered—a quantity that is sufficient to vaccinate over 5,600,000 civilians,” the IDF and COGAT stated.
The polio campaign comes as the IDF appears to be winding down its month-long operation in Jabaliya. The IDF released photos of several weapons found recently in the city, but the number of arms and munitions discovered in military sweeps is less than in the past.
The IDF is also rotating a new division into the Netzarim Corridor, replacing the 252nd Division with the 99th Division. Since it was deployed in late July, the 252nd has eliminated dozens of terrorists and uprooted 10 kilometers of tunnels, the IDF said in a ceremony held near a beach in central Gaza.
The IDF has been rotating units in and out of central Gaza since it took the area early in the war against Hamas in November 2023. Overall, the IDF holds the Netzarim Corridor with one infantry and one armored brigade, often including reservists. The 99th Division was deployed in the area in the spring and summer of 2024, when it received the 2nd Carmeli and 679th brigades during its previous rotation. The division also deployed in the same area in January.
