WHO chief urges Israel to lift restrictions on aid to Gaza

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday asked Israel to lift the blockade on medical supplies in Gaza.

Head of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said approximately 700 seriously ill patients were stuck in a war zone.

“Crossings from Egypt into Gaza have remained closed for two weeks, cutting off the primary pipeline for emergency health supplies into Gaza,” the WHO director-general told a news conference.

Tedros described the situation in Gaza as “beyond catastrophic,” adding that intense hostilities near Gaza’s hospitals have compromised their ability to provide medical care and made it harder for patients to reach.

The WHO chief said it is imperative to ensure their ability to deliver health services, as only two functional hospitals are in northern Gaza,

However, he also lamented that the UN’s health agency cannot sustain its lifesaving support to hospitals and the population, without more aid flowing into Gaza.

The WHO and its partners have managed to deliver small amounts of fuel to hospitals in recent days.

However, this falls far short of the large quantity of fuel that is needed each day for health operations.