There are bombings and fuel shortages, WHO cancels aid mission to the Gaza Strip

Delivery of aid to Gaza. (Twitter/@DrTedros)

JAKARTA - The World Health Organization (WHO) canceled plans for a medical aid mission to the Gaza Strip, Palestine on Wednesday due to security concerns, the sixth cancellation in the last two weeks, providing new warnings over the spread of infectious diseases there.

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this was the sixth mission to northern Gaza that the UN agency had canceled, because a request for a visit had not been approved or security guarantees given since its last visit, on December 26.

"Intense bombing, movement restrictions, fuel shortages and communication disruptions make it impossible for WHO and our partners to reach those in need," he said at a virtual press conference from Geneva, reported by Reuters, January 11.

"We call on Israel to agree to requests from WHO and other partners to provide humanitarian assistance," he stressed.

It is known that the Israeli offensive launched after the deadly Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7 has displaced most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents, leaving many homes and civilian infrastructure destroyed, causing shortages of food, water and medicine. Fighting has intensified recently, despite promises this week to scale back the war.

WHO said on Wednesday only 15 hospitals in Gaza were still functioning, although only partially. Worsening conditions are also a breeding ground for infectious diseases, the agency said.

He added that he hoped that the WHO mission planned for Thursday to northern Gaza could continue. However, he added that about 16 or 17 of the 21 planned UN missions had been canceled so far this month.

Mike Ryan, WHO emergencies director, said restoring the public health system in Gaza, even with a ceasefire would be a "herculean" task.