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

Gaza is experiencing a health “catastrophe” that will last “for generations to come,” warned the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that a massive increase in aid is needed to start meeting the complex needs of the people in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has allowed more medical supplies and other aid into Gaza since the ceasefire with Hamas took effect on October 10, but Dr. Tedros said the levels are below those needed to rebuild the territory’s health system.

His intervention comes as the United States tries to shore up the ceasefire it helped broker following a surge in violence over the weekend.

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

Dr Tedros told the Today show he welcomed the ceasefire deal, but said the subsequent increase in aid has been smaller than expected.

Asked about the situation on the ground, he said Gaza residents had experienced famine, “overwhelming” injuries, a collapsed health system and epidemics fueled by the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure.

He continued: “In addition to this, [there is] restricted access to humanitarian aid. This is a very fatal combination, which means that [the situation] catastrophic and beyond words.”

Asked about the long-term health outlook in Gaza, he added: “If you take famine and combine it with a mental health problem that we believe is endemic, then the situation is a crisis for generations to come.”

Tom Fletcher, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said earlier this week that aid groups are “turning the tide on the famine crisis” but that “much more is needed.”

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

Six hundred aid trucks are due to arrive in Gaza every day, but the average is between 200 and 300, Dr Tedros said, calling on Israeli authorities to “decouple” aid from the conflict as a whole.

Israel temporarily halted aid deliveries on Sunday after saying two Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack by Hamas gunmen in Gaza. Hamas said at the time that it was unaware of the clashes.

The Israeli army responded with a series of airstrikes across the territory, killing dozens of Palestinians.

Aid deliveries resumed the next day after strong international pressure.

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

Hamas has pledged to return the bodies, but so far has only transferred 15 out of 28, saying it has been unable to recover the rest.

Twenty living Israeli hostages were released by Hamas last week in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails.

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

Asked what role the United States should play, Dr. Tedros said that “since the United States negotiated the peace agreement, it has a responsibility to ensure that all parties respect it.”

Israel currently operates two crossings – Kerem Shalom in the southeast and Kissufim in central Gaza – but it continues to face calls from humanitarian groups for all access routes it controls to be restored.

Dr Tedros said “all available crossing points” were needed to deliver enough aid to Gaza, and called on Israel to allow humanitarian groups that had previously been denied registration to return to the territory, saying: “You cannot have a large-scale response without those who can intervene on the ground.”

He also said supplies intended to restore Gaza’s health system had been confiscated at the border because Israeli authorities say they could be used for military purposes.

“If you want to build a field hospital, you need the canvas and the pillars [for tents]”, he continued. “So if the pillars are removed, under the pretext that they could be dual-purpose, then you can’t have a tent.”

Thousands of Palestinians are waiting for weekly medical evacuation flights, Dr. Tedros said, even though none have taken off for two weeks due to religious holidays in Israel. He said 700 people had already died waiting for medical evacuation and called for the number of flights to be increased.

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

Since then, at least 68,229 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas.

In July, a UN-backed body concluded that famine had reigned in Gaza, although Israel disputed the findings, saying there was “no famine”.

The UN has previously estimated it would cost $70bn (£52bn) to rebuild Gaza. Dr Tedros said around 10% of this figure would have to be spent on its badly damaged health system.

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

“The ceasefire that we have is very fragile and some people have died even after the ceasefire because it has been broken repeatedly.

“What is very sad is that many people were clapping in the streets because they were very happy that a peace agreement had been reached. Imagine, [some of] these same people died after learning that the war was over. »