“Chronic shortage”.. World Health condemns the delay in the entry of aid into Gaza

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The World Health Organization said on Friday that the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza via Israel is witnessing “one delay after another,” denouncing a “chronic shortage” of medical supplies.

The representative of the World Health Organization in the Palestinian Territories, Reinhilde van de Weerd, stated that the health situation in the Gaza Strip “is still very catastrophic,” while none of its hospitals are operating at full capacity.

“Sufficient amounts of humanitarian aid are not entering Gaza, and certainly not enough to expand and restore health services effectively,” she told reporters in Geneva in statements she made from Jerusalem.

She noted that the Israeli approval system for the entry of medical supplies and other humanitarian aid constitutes a major obstacle.

"It is an arduous and time-consuming process with no guaranteed results," she said.

Based on the latest WHO analysis, large amounts of medical supplies are waiting for permission to enter for an average of 74 days, Van de Weerdt said, adding that if not, “we start this long and complicated process all over again.”

She explained that the approval system is constantly changing with the introduction of new rules.

Israel says it prevents the entry of materials that may have military uses, while it accuses Hamas of planning new acts of violence after the unprecedented attack it launched against Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in the Gaza Strip.

Van de Weer pointed out that basic medical supplies commonly used in the world have the lowest approval rates, while X-ray machines, sterilization equipment, spare parts for CT scan machines and other essential equipment are “frequently rejected.”

“In the past six months alone, a shipment of prosthetics and assistive devices has been rejected four separate times,” she said.

But she noted that the introduction of medicines was going “relatively well,” with nearly 87% approved and only 1% rejected.

She continued, "It is not about one obstacle, but rather it is a complete system in which one delay follows another, and behind every delay a patient is waiting."

"We need humanitarian and health supplies to enter Gaza without obstacles, regularly and in large quantities," she said.

She hoped that "Israel would at least ease restrictions on medical supplies."

Van de Weerd called for opening more crossings into the Strip, and providing “clear and announced guidance” on procedures and requirements.

She added that success should not be measured by the number of trucks crossing the border, explaining that this “reflects little on whether the actual health needs of the population are being met or not.”

In this regard, she said, “A truck loaded with non-priority supplies, or the appropriate supplies arriving too late, does not save lives.”

The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, according to a census conducted by Agence France-Presse based on official Israeli figures.

On the other hand, the war launched by Israel on Gaza in response to the attack resulted in the deaths of more than 74,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza, and the United Nations considers its data reliable.