Over 600,000 children at risk of ‘permanent paralysis’ as Israeli blockade suspends polio vaccination campaign in Gaza

Health officials issued a new warning that at least 600,00o children are at risk of "permanent paralysis" in Gaza due to the blockade on all aid supplies, including vaccines, as the Israeli military launched one of the biggest waves of strikes in Gaza for weeks on Tuesday.

The Palestinian health ministry announced that a UN-backed polio vaccination campaign for children had been suspended, putting the enclave at risk of the revival of a crippling disease that had once been all but eradicated.

Officials said in a statement quoted by Al Jazeera that the health consequences could be catastrophic, leaving 602,000 children vulnerable to "permanent paralysis and chronic disabilities".

"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 has imposed a total blockade on all supplies to Gaza since the start of March and relaunched its war on 18 March.