WHO Warns Gaza Aid Delays Risk ‘Devastating Consequences’

Repeated delays in bringing life-saving medicines, prosthetics and other medical supplies into Gaza could have “devastating consequences” for Palestinians in urgent need of treatment, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.

Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, the WHO’s representative in Palestine, said humanitarian and health supplies were facing repeated delays and rejections, with some rehabilitation equipment unable to enter the territory for months. She called on Israeli authorities to ease restrictions on medical supplies and allow predictable, large-scale humanitarian access.

“A truck full of non-priority supplies or the right supplies arriving too late, doesn’t save lives,” Van De Weerdt said.

She said essential medicines should not be treated as dual-use items, arguing that they are standard medical supplies required to operate hospitals and clinics.

According to WHO data, one shipment of prosthetics and assistive devices had been rejected four times over six months. A separate WHO assessment published earlier this year said four rehabilitation-related shipments had been rejected, while 18 others were pending, with an average waiting time of 136 days as of April 14.

Medical Supplies Face Delays

Van De Weerdt said medicines were generally moving more easily, with nearly 87% of shipments approved and just over 1% rejected, but said rehabilitation supplies faced greater obstacles.

“Every rejection means another delay for someone who has already lost a limb and is simply waiting for the chance to walk again,” she said.

The WHO has said thousands of people in Gaza require long-term rehabilitation and prosthetic or orthotic services following amputations. In September, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said only a small proportion of people who had lost limbs had received prosthetic services and called for the unimpeded entry of rehabilitation equipment and essential medicines.

Van De Weerdt also called for a “multi-crossing model” so humanitarian supplies do not have to enter through a limited number of crossings.

According to the WHO, Kerem Shalom is currently the main entry point for approved aid, while Rafah is being used for limited movement of people, including patients requiring treatment outside Gaza.

She also praised healthcare workers continuing to operate in Gaza despite severe shortages, saying they did not have enough supplies to provide patients with the care they needed.

Winter Raises Disease And Sanitation Risks

The WHO has warned that the onset of winter could further worsen health risks in Gaza.

Van De Weerdt said nearly two million people needed shelter to protect themselves from cold and flooding, while inadequate shelter, unsafe water and poor sanitation could increase the risk of preventable disease outbreaks.

WHO has separately warned that overflowing sewage, accumulated waste, limited access to safe water and flooding could create increasingly dangerous conditions. It has also reported rising water contamination and a sharp increase in acute watery diarrhoea cases.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has also warned about the public-health risks posed by Gaza's solid-waste crisis. Waste collection and disposal remain constrained by damaged infrastructure, shortages of fuel and machinery, and restrictions on the entry of spare parts and equipment.

OCHA has warned that winter rains and flooding could spread accumulated waste, block drainage systems and contaminate water sources, increasing the risk of waterborne disease.

The WHO said Gaza's health system remains under extreme strain, with only 19 of the territory's 36 hospitals functioning partially as of September 24 and none operating at full capacity. Essential medicines, diagnostic equipment and fuel remain critically scarce.

Van De Weerdt said the priority remained “unimpeded and predictable” entry of humanitarian and health supplies into Gaza at the scale required to meet the population's needs.

(With Agency Inputs)