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“Trucks full of non-priority supplies or the right supplies arriving late, don’t save lives. That’s the question that really matters.” said Dr Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, WHO Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
Nearly 12 months into a fragile ceasefire agreement between Hamas fighters and Israel marked by ongoing Israeli airstrikes and other military activity, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains “extraordinary.” according to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.
Approved aid can only be channeled to the Gaza Strip via Kerem Shalom at the southern tip of the enclave, while Rafah (also in the south) is open to limited movement of people including patients requiring medical treatment abroad. At least four other main entry points into Gaza for aid remain closed: Kissufim, Gate 96, Erez and Erez West.
Disclaimer of ‘dual use’
In an appeal to the Israeli authorities to “releasing pressure on medical supplies”, Dr Van De Weerdt also stressed that essential medicines “should not be considered dual-use” – and were therefore banned by Israel on the grounds that they could be used by Hamas fighters – “because they constitute the globally accepted standard of medical equipment that anyone anywhere would need to run a hospital or clinic”.
In the last six months, one shipment of prosthetics and assistive devices was rejected four times. “Every rejection means another delay for someone who has already lost a limb and is just waiting for a chance to walk again,” stressed the WHO official, noting that the drugs “on the contrary, are moving relatively well,” with nearly 87 percent approved and just 1 percent rejected.
UN aid agencies operating in Gaza are still providing critical assistance to families across the Gaza Strip in coordination with Israeli authorities, but these life-saving efforts are hampered by a lack of reliable and timely access.
“Our demand is simple and unchanging: we need an unimpeded and predictable entry of humanitarian and health supplies into Gaza on a large scale.. “We also need a multi-crossing model so that aid is not forced to flow through a certain number of crossings,” said the senior WHO official.
Highlighting the “extraordinary health workers” who are still risking their lives to help others in Gaza, Dr Van De Weerdt said that too few supplies are reaching them and not enough patients are getting the care they need and deserve. The already dire humanitarian situation is at risk of getting even worse, once autumn ends.
Rodent threat
“As winter began, the need to send supplies to Gaza became more urgent. Nearly two million people need shelter to protect them from cold weather and the risk of flooding, which exposes them to serious health and safety risks, let alone [their] pride,” explained the WHO official.
As in previous winters in Gaza, residents of the enclave are expected to face an increased risk of preventable disease outbreaks, linked to the lack of safe shelter, lack of clean water and high numbers of rats, whose bites can transmit infections. The destruction of public health laboratories has complicated the task of identifying potential epidemics, WHO explained.
The development follows warnings from Ocha on Thursday about the serious public health risks associated with the accumulation of solid waste in the heart of Gaza City.
Recent progress made in improving sanitation in Gaza remains fragile due to a lack of reliable access to heavy machinery and equipment, explained OCHA, “or to the engine oil and spare parts needed to keep those machines running. Sustainable funding for fuel is also critical.”
Meanwhile, mine action partners reported that they still lacked “clearance and equipment” to remove unexploded ordnance hazards identified in the wreckage during 37 assessment missions.
