Repeated delays in bringing lifesaving medicines, prosthetics and more from Israel into Gaza risk having devastating consequences on Palestinians who urgently need them in the war-torn enclave, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
"A truck full of non-priority supplies or the right supplies arriving too late, doesn't save lives. That's the question that actually matters," said Dr Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, WHO Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
Almost 12 months into a fragile ceasefire agreement between Hamas fighters and Israel marked by ongoing Israeli airstrikes and other military activity, Gaza's humanitarian situation remains "overwhelming", according to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA .
Approved aid can only be brought into the Strip via Kerem Shalom in the southern tip of the enclave, while Rafah (also in the south) is open for the limited movement of people including patients requiring medical treatment abroad. At least four other main entry points into Gaza for aid remain closed: Kissufim, Gate 96, Erez and Erez West.
'Dual use' denials
In a call to the Israeli authorities to "release the pressure on medical supplies", Dr Van De Weerdt also stressed that essential medicines "should not be considered as dual use" - and therefore banned by Israel on the grounds that they could be used by Hamas fighters - "as they are globally accepted standards on medical items anybody needs anywhere to run a hospital or a clinic".
In the last six months, one shipment of prosthetics and assistive devices was rejected four times. "Every rejection means another delay for someone who has already lost a limb and is simply waiting for the chance to walk again," stressed the WHO official, who noted that medicines "by contrast, move relatively well", with almost 87 per cent approved and just over 1 per cent rejected.
UN aid agencies operating in Gaza still provide critical assistance to families across the Strip in coordination with the Israeli authorities, but this lifesaving work is impeded by a lack of reliable and timely access.
"Our ask is simple and has not changed: we need the unimpeded and predictable entry of humanitarian and health supplies into Gaza at scale. We also need a multi-crossing model so that aid isn't forced to trickle down through a limited number of crossings," the WHO senior official said.
Highlighting the "extraordinary health workers" still risking their lives to help others in Gaza, Dr Van De Weerdt said that too few supplies were reaching them and not enough patients were getting the care they needed and deserved. The already dire humanitarian situation risks getting even worse soon, once autumn ends.
Rodent threat
"As winter begins, this urgency to get supplies into Gaza only deepens. Almost two million people are in need of shelter to protect against the cold and the risk of flooding, exposing people to serious health and safety risks, let alone [their] dignity," the WHO official explained.
As in previous winters in Gaza, the enclave's residents are expected to face a heightened risk of preventable disease outbreaks, linked to the absence of safe shelter, a lack of clean water and the high number of rats, whose bites transmit infection. The destruction of public health laboratories has complicated the task of identifying potential epidemics, WHO explained.
The development follows a warning from OCHA on Thursday about serious public health risks linked to the accumulation of solid waste in the heart of Gaza City.
Recent gains in improving sanitation in Gaza remain fragile because of a lack of reliable access to heavy machinery and equipment, OCHA explained, "or to engine oil and spare parts required to keep them running. Sustained funding for fuel is also critical."
Meanwhile, mine action partners reported that they still lack "permissions and equipment" to remove unexploded ordnance hazards identified in the rubble during 37 assessment missions.
