WHO Warns Israel's Restrictions on Medical Aid into Gaza are Hurting Health Response

JAKARTA - The Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Hanan Balkhi, stated that Israel's continued restrictions on the entry of medical aid into the Gaza Strip, Palestine, hindered the health response, and warned that the spread of disease in Gaza threatened the entire region.

In a press statement on Monday, Balkhi stressed that the deteriorating situation in Gaza is no longer only related to the attacks, but now also includes obstruction of access to health services, which endangers the lives of residents.

"We clearly see that access to health services is very threatened. The health system operates at maximum capacity, with drastically reduced resources, limited access, and rapidly increasing needs," he explained, launching WAFA (14/4).

He noted that life-saving supplies were available but did not reach the Gaza Strip.

Balkhi explained, "Trucks, medicines, and medical equipment are waiting, while patients are not receiving treatment or only receiving it in very limited amounts."

Most crossings into Gaza are closed, and the flow of medical aid is severely restricted, crippling the entire health response.

He also noted that the supply of fuel entering Gaza was far below the level needed, forcing hospitals to operate in shifts.

He stressed that the lack of fuel threatened the sustainability of health services, stating, "Without fuel, hospitals will stop functioning, and this poses a risk not only for hospitals but also for the entire health system."

The WHO Regional Director also pointed out that the recent escalation had impacted the ceasefire, which was intended to facilitate the entry of aid and ensure medical evacuations.

Balkhi said that medical evacuations were irregular, so that critically ill patients could not access life-saving treatment.

The reconstruction of Gaza, said Balkhi, both infrastructure and housing, could take decades, creating an environment conducive to the increase in disease and the deterioration of health needs.

He added that since the ceasefire began, only 388 patients had been evacuated, including 47 children, and reported that the organization had contributed since October 2023 to the evacuation of 3,668 patients.

Separately, medical sources in the Gaza Strip announced that the number of deaths due to the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip had risen to 72,333, while 172,202 others were injured since the start of the Israeli aggression on October 7, 2023.

They also noted that the total number of civilians killed since the ceasefire on October 11 had risen to 754, and the total number of injured victims to 2,100, while 760 bodies had been found.

The sources indicated that a number of victims were still under the rubble and on the streets, as ambulance and rescue teams have not been able to reach them so far.