WHO warns of devastating consequences as repeated holdups in moving life-saving medicines, prosthetics and other health supplies from Israel into Gaza continue to endanger patients, the World Health Organization said on Friday.
The agency said approved assistance currently enters Gaza only via Kerem Shalom at the enclave’s southern tip. Rafah, also in the south, is allowing only limited movement of people, including patients referred for care abroad.
“A truck full of non-priority supplies or the right supplies arriving too late, doesn’t save lives. That’s the question that actually matters,” said Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, the WHO representative in Palestine.
Van De Weerdt urged Israeli authorities to “release the pressure on medical supplies,” adding that essential medicines “should not be considered as dual use” and are standard items needed to run hospitals and clinics. She said one shipment of prosthetics and assistive devices had been turned back four times in the past six months.
“Every rejection means another delay for someone who has already lost a limb and is simply waiting for the chance to walk again,” she said, noting that medicines “by contrast, move relatively well,” with almost 87 percent approved and just over 1 percent rejected.
“Our ask is simple and has not changed: we need the unimpeded and predictable entry of humanitarian and health supplies into Gaza at scale. We also need a multi-crossing model so that aid isn’t forced to trickle down through a limited number of crossings,” Van De Weerdt said.
Four other main entry points into Gaza, Kissufim, Gate 96, Erez and Erez West, remain closed and under total Israeli control, according to the WHO.
Van De Weerdt praised “extraordinary health workers” who continue to operate in Gaza under dangerous conditions, saying they lack sufficient supplies to provide adequate care.
WHO warns of devastating consequences as winter and disease risks rise
“As winter begins, this urgency to get supplies into Gaza only deepens,” Van De Weerdt said. “Almost two million people are in need of shelter to protect against the cold and the risk of flooding, exposing people to serious health and safety risks, let alone their dignity.”
She warned of heightened risks of preventable disease outbreaks driven by inadequate shelter and unsafe water, and cited increasing rodent populations whose bites can transmit infections. Tracking these threats is complicated by the destruction of public health laboratories, she said.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs cautioned on Thursday that solid waste accumulation in Gaza City poses serious public health hazards. The agency said fragile sanitation gains are threatened by unreliable access to heavy equipment, engine oil, spare parts and fuel funding.
Almost 12 months into a fragile “ceasefire” between Hamas and Israel, which has been marked by ongoing Israeli air strikes and other military activity, Gaza’s humanitarian conditions remain “overwhelming,” according to OCHA. Related tensions have also flared beyond Gaza, including when Netanyahu says Israel warned UK before RAF Fairford incident earlier this year.