WHO raises alarm as 75% of UN aid efforts prevented from entering Gaza

The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) raised serious concerns on Thursday about the continued lack of access for urgent humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by a 17-month Israeli military offensive.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported that an alarming 75 percent of UN aid missions were denied entry over the past week.

He addressed the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave during a weekly press briefing, highlighting the impact of Israel’s total siege on Gaza since last month, which has halted the delivery of essential medical supplies and food.

The WHO chief also noted that Israeli attacks on Gaza’s healthcare system continue unabated, with more than 400 aid workers killed since the outbreak of hostilities on 7 October 2023.

"On 23 March, the Israeli army attacked a medical and emergency convoy, killing 15 health and humanitarian workers," Dr Tedros said.

He further stressed that Palestinian families are suffering from starvation, malnutrition, lack of clean water, shelter, and adequate medical care- all of which have contributed to a significant rise in deaths and disease among Gaza’s population of 2.3 million.

Despite increasing restrictions and rapidly dwindling supplies, Dr Tedros said the WHO continues to operate in Gaza, in spite of the severe security risks.

He called for the "urgent lifting of the aid blockade, the protection of healthcare, unimpeded humanitarian access across Gaza, the immediate resumption of daily medical evacuations, the release of hostages still detained in Gaza, and- above all- a ceasefire."

Fellow WHO official Rik Peeperkorn warned on Friday that medicine stocks are "critically low" due to the Israeli blockade, which has left Gaza’s remaining hospitals unable to function, even partially.

A joint statement by the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics and the Water Authority last month revealed that more than 85 percent of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure is either completely or partially out of service.

Palestinian and UN officials also reported that most of the territory’s desalination plants had shut down or were damaged, largely due to Israel’s power and fuel restrictions.

As a result, average water access has fallen to just 3-5 litres per person per day- well below the World Health Organization’s emergency survival minimum of 15 litres.

Gulf nation Saudi Arabia joined growing international calls for aid access into Gaza, with Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan urging on Friday for "maximum pressure to ensure the continuous and sufficient flow" of supplies.

On 18 March, the Israeli military launched a renewed and deadly offensive on Gaza, abruptly ending the nearly two-month ceasefire that had been in place since January.

Since the war on Gaza began in October 2023, Israeli forces have killed over 50,800 Palestinians- the majority of whom are women and children.