WHO warns of ‘devastating consequences’ due to delayed aid entry into Gaza

The World Health Organization in Palestine has warned that repeated delays and refusals to permit medical and humanitarian consignments into Gaza from Israel could have "devastating consequences" for people who urgently need care. WHO representative Reinhilde Van De Weerdt said that while many medicines pass through approvals, crucial items such as prosthetics and assistive devices have faced multiple rejections that delay treatment for people who have already lost limbs.

Currently, approved aid consignments are allowed into Gaza mainly via the Kerem Shalom crossing at the territory's southern tip, the WHO said. The Rafah crossing is reportedly limited to moving people, including patients requiring treatment abroad. Van De Weerdt urged Israeli authorities to ease restrictions on medical supplies and warned against treating standard medical items as "dual use." She noted that one prosthetics shipment was denied entry four times over six months, while medicines have an approval rate of nearly 87% and a rejection rate slightly above 1%.

The WHO called for the unimpeded and predictable entry of humanitarian and health supplies into Gaza at scale and advocated for a multi-crossing model so aid would not be forced to pass through a small number of openings. Four other main entry points — Kissufim, Gate 96, Erez and Erez West — remain closed and under total Israeli control, limiting options for routing larger volumes of assistance.

Van De Weerdt also highlighted growing health risks as winter approaches. She said nearly two million people lack adequate shelter against cold and flooding, increasing exposure to disease and safety threats. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has warned that accumulated solid waste, fragile sanitation systems and damaged public health laboratories further raise the risk of preventable outbreaks in Gaza, where humanitarian needs remain overwhelming nearly 12 months into a fragile ceasefire.