WHO Chief Says 75 Percent Of UN Missions Refused To Enter Gaza Strip

Illustration of humanitarian aid trucks for the Gaza Strip. (Twitter/@WFP)

JAKARTA - The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, that 75 percent of UN missions had been denied access to the region due to the ongoing blockade and Israeli attacks.

In a weekly press conference, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned of a strict blockade imposed by Israel, which has been in effect since March 2.

He explained that the blockade had stopped the entry of important supplies, including food and medicine, exacerbating the crisis for Gaza's civilian population.

The UN official warned that the restrictions had caused families to face hunger, malnutrition, and lack of clean water, shelter, and proper medical care.

"This condition significantly increases the risk of disease and death among residents," he said, as reported by WAFA April 11.

He also underlined the continuing attacks on Gaza's health infrastructure, noting more than 400 humanitarian workers have been killed since October 2023.

One of the deadly incidents occurred on March 23, when an Israeli attack targeted a medical and emergency convoy, killing 15 health workers and aid.

Ghebreyesus repeated urgent calls for immediate lifting of blockades, protection of health services, unrestricted humanitarian access across the region, resumption of daily medical evacuations, and an immediate ceasefire to end suffering.

Separately, medical sources in Gaza confirmed on Friday that the death toll of Palestinians in Gaza since the latest conflict broke out on October 7, 2023, has reached 50,912, while injuries have reached 115,981.

Meanwhile, the death toll since Israel continued after the ceasefire ended on March 18, 2025, which reached 1,542 people, while injuries reached 3,940.