Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Head of the World Health Organization (WHO), urged Israel to lift the blockade on medical supplies entering Gaza. He emphasized that around 700 critically ill patients are currently trapped in a conflict-ridden area.
“Crossings from Egypt into Gaza have remained closed for two weeks, cutting off the primary pipeline for emergency health supplies into Gaza,” the WHO director-general told a press briefing in Geneva.
Tedros described the situation in Gaza as “beyond catastrophic,” adding that intense hostilities near Gaza’s hospitals have compromised their ability to provide medical care and made it harder for patients to reach.
The WHO director emphasized the importance of ensuring the operational capacity of the two remaining hospitals in northern Gaza to deliver health services. However, he also highlighted the challenge faced by the UN’s health agency in sustaining its life-saving support to hospitals and the local population without additional aid reaching Gaza.
Despite recent efforts by the WHO and its partners to provide hospitals with limited fuel, the supply falls far below the daily requirement for health operations.