Deteriorating Humanitarian Situation in Gaza Continues… WHO: “No Progress to Report”

The World Health Organization announced on Thursday that there has been no noticeable progress in the quantities of food allowed to enter the Gaza Strip since the start of the ceasefire agreement, stressing that the humanitarian situation remains catastrophic with no real improvement in hunger levels.

At a press conference, the Director-General of the organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated that “the situation remains catastrophic because the quantities entering Gaza are insufficient.”

He warned that since the ceasefire agreement, brokered by the United States between Israel and Hamas, came into effect on October 10, “hunger is not decreasing due to food shortages.”

He pointed out that Israel has cut off aid to the Gaza Strip many times during the war, which has exacerbated the deteriorating humanitarian conditions, and this has caused, according to the United Nations, famine in areas of the besieged Palestinian territory.

Ghebreyesus explained that the agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump stipulates the entry of 600 trucks per day, but only between 200 and 300 trucks are currently entering the sector.

He added that a large number of trucks currently entering Gaza are “commercial” vehicles, noting that many residents of the sector lack the resources to purchase goods, which “reduces the number of actual beneficiaries of aid.”

The Director-General of the organization praised the continuation of the ceasefire despite some violations, while warning that “the crisis is not over yet, and the needs are still enormous.”

He said: “Despite the increased flow of aid, it still represents a small fraction of the total needs.”

He also pointed out that the health system in Gaza has been severely damaged during the two-year Israeli war following the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.

Ghebreyesus explained that “there are no longer any fully functioning hospitals in Gaza, and only 14 out of 36 hospitals are still operating,” adding that there is a “severe shortage of essential medicines, equipment, and health workers.”

He pointed out that since the ceasefire came into effect, the World Health Organization has been working to send more medical supplies to hospitals, deploy additional emergency medical teams, and seek to expand medical evacuation operations.

The Director-General of the organization concluded by noting that the total cost of rebuilding the health system in Gaza is estimated at at least seven billion dollars.