Gaza health crisis will last for ‘generations’, WHO chief warns

The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that there is a health “disaster” in Gaza that will last for “generations to come.”

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that a major increase in aid was needed to start meeting the complex needs of the Strip population.

Israel has allowed more medical supplies and other aid to pass into Gaza since the ceasefire with Hamas came into force on October 10, but Dr. These levels are below what is needed to rebuild the region’s health system, Tedros said.

His intervention came as the US was trying to intervene helped support the ceasefire following the violence over the weekend.

The agreement was described by the White House as the first phase of a 20-point peace plan that includes increasing the amount of aid entering Gaza and supplies being distributed “without interference” from either side.

Dr Tedros told the Today program that he welcomed the ceasefire agreement but that the ensuing aid increase was smaller than expected.

Asked about the situation on the ground, he said Gazans were experiencing famine, “massive” injuries, a collapsed health system and disease outbreaks resulting from the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure.

He continued: “Moreover, [there is] Restricting access to humanitarian aid. This is a very lethal combination, so [the situation] disaster and beyond words.”

Asked about the long-term health prospects in Gaza, he added: “If you take the famine and combine it with a mental health problem that we see is widespread, then it becomes a crisis for future generations.”

Tom Fletcher, Director of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. he said earlier this week He said aid groups were “turning the tide of the hunger crisis” but that “much more” was needed.

On Tuesday, the UN’s World Food Program said trucks carrying more than 6,700 tonnes of food had entered since October 10, but that was still well below the target of 2,000 tonnes per day.

Dr. said that six hundred aid trucks should reach Gaza a day, but the average is between 200 and 300. Tedros called on Israeli officials to “cut the link” between aid and the wider conflict.

On Sunday, Israel temporarily stopped aid distribution after it announced that two Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack by Hamas-affiliated gunmen in Gaza. Hamas said it was unaware of the clashes at the time.

The Israeli army responded with a series of airstrikes on the area, killing dozens of Palestinians.

After intense international pressure, aid deliveries resumed the next day.

Dr Tedros said aid should not be “weaponized” and called on Israel not to impose conditions on the delivery of aid, including the return of the remains of dead hostages still in Gaza, which has become a major point of contention during the ceasefire.

Hamas has pledged to return the bodies but has so far transferred only 15 of the 28 bodies and said it has not received the rest.

Last week, 20 living Israeli hostages were released by Hamas in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons.

Dr Tedros told Today: “There should be full access, no conditions, especially after all living hostages have been released and a significant portion of the remains have been transferred. I did not expect there would be additional restrictions.”

When asked about the role the US should play, Dr Tedros said: “Since the US brokered the peace agreement, it has a responsibility to ensure that all parties respect the agreement.”

Israel currently operates two crossing points, Kerem Shalom in the southeast and Kissufim in central Gaza, but continues to face calls from aid groups to repair all access roads it controls.

Dr Tedros said “all available crossings” were needed to deliver adequate aid to Gaza and called on Israel to allow aid groups that had previously been denied registration to return to the area, saying: “There can be no scaled-up intervention without those on the ground who can deliver aid.”

He also said that supplies to be used to restore Gaza’s healthcare system were confiscated at the border because Israeli officials said they could be used for military purposes.

“If you’re going to build a field hospital, you need tarpaulins and pillars [for tents]he continued. “So you can’t set up a tent if the pillars are removed under the excuse that it could be for dual use.”

Dr Tedros said thousands of Palestinians were waiting for weekly medical evacuation flights but none had taken off for two weeks due to religious holidays in Israel. He said 700 people have previously died while waiting for medical evacuation and called on the number of flights to be increased.

Israel launched a military operation in Gaza in response to the October 7, 2023 attack in which Hamas-led gunmen killed approximately 1,200 people and took 251 hostage.

At least 68,229 people have been killed in Israeli offensives in Gaza since then, according to the region’s Hamas-run health ministry.

A UN-supported organization in July He concluded that there was a famine in GazaHowever, Israel disputed the findings, saying there was “no hunger”.

The UN had previously estimated that rebuilding Gaza would cost $70bn (£52bn). Dr Tedros said around 10% of this figure should be spent on the badly damaged health system.

He continued: “We have long said that peace is the best medicine.

“The ceasefire we have is very fragile and because the ceasefire has been broken several times, some people have lost their lives even after the ceasefire.

“The very sad thing was that a lot of people were cheering in the streets because they were so happy that a peace agreement had been made. Imagine, [some of] “These same people died after they were told the war was over.”