DaysofPal- The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic, with no significant improvement in the amount of food allowed into the besieged enclave since the ceasefire took effect earlier this month.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday that “the situation remains catastrophic because the quantities entering Gaza are insufficient.”
He cautioned that hunger continues to worsen due to the persistent shortage of food supplies, despite the ceasefire agreement that began on 10 October.
“Israel has repeatedly cut off aid to the Gaza Strip during the war,” Ghebreyesus said, noting that these actions have deepened the already dire humanitarian crisis and led to famine in parts of the Palestinian territory.
He added that many of the trucks currently entering Gaza are commercial, not humanitarian, and that “a large portion of Gaza’s population lacks the resources to purchase goods, which reduces the number of beneficiaries.”
While he praised the relative stability of the ceasefire despite ongoing violations, the WHO chief stressed that “the crisis is far from over, and the needs are immense.” He noted that the current flow of aid “represents only a small fraction of what is required to meet the urgent needs of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents.”
On the health front, Ghebreyesus reported that no hospitals in Gaza are fully operational, with only 14 out of 36 still partially functioning amid severe shortages of medicines, equipment, and medical staff.
Since the ceasefire, WHO has been sending larger quantities of medical supplies to Gaza hospitals, deploying additional emergency medical teams, and working to expand medical evacuation operations for the wounded and critically ill.
According to figures from the Gaza Government Media Office, an average of only 89 aid trucks have been entering the Strip daily since the ceasefire, far below the 600 trucks needed each day.
The office said this reflects Israel’s ongoing policy of “strangulation, starvation, and humanitarian blackmail” against the population of Gaza.
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