WHO reports 74-day wait for medical supplies to Gaza — Anadolu Agency

In Palestine’s Gaza Strip, large shipments of medical supplies wait a median of 74 days for clearance from Israeli authorities, the World Health Organization said. WHO representative for the occupied Palestinian territory Ranhilde van de Weerdt told journalists in Geneva about this, Anadolu Agency reports.

Shortage of medicines and equipment

According to van de Weerdt, there is not a single hospital in Gaza that is fully functional. Chronic shortages of medicines and medical supplies remain one of the main obstacles to restoring health services, despite a year having passed since the ceasefire was declared.

WHO notes that the approval rate for medicines is nearly 87%. At the same time, medical equipment, including X-ray machines, sterilization equipment and spare parts for CT scanners, is regularly rejected, often without an explanation.

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Delays at the Kerem Shalom crossing

If a shipment is not approved, the organization is forced to begin the lengthy clearance procedure again, with no guarantee of a different outcome. The WHO representative stressed that every additional day of storage or transportation brings medicines closer to their expiration dates and creates a risk of equipment being damaged before it reaches patients.

According to her, the security situation in Gaza remains extremely unstable. To collect medical shipments from the Kerem Shalom crossing, WHO teams must travel through territory controlled by the Israeli military in armored vehicles and personal protective equipment. Such trips must be coordinated with Israeli authorities, and staff often wait for permission to move. WHO called for unhindered and predictable large-scale deliveries of humanitarian and medical aid through several crossing points.