Gaza medical aid delays risk devastating consequences, WHO warns

Gaza medical aid delays could have “devastating consequences”, the World Health Organization has warned. Its representative in the Palestinian territories, Reinhilde Van de Weerdt, said the health situation “remains utterly dire”. No hospital in Gaza is fully functional, she told reporters, according to a CP24 report.

The WHO says medical supplies wait a median of 74 days for clearance. Van de Weerdt described Israel’s approval system as “laborious, time-consuming, with no guaranteed results”. She called it a system “layered with delay after delay”.

What the Gaza medical aid delays mean on the ground

The figures are specific. Almost 87 percent of medicines are approved, and just over 1 percent are rejected. Standard health kits have the lowest approval rate. X-ray machines, sterilisation equipment and CT scanner spare parts are regularly rejected. One shipment of prosthetics and assistive devices was turned down four times in six months.

Al Jazeera added more detail. Only the Kerem Shalom crossing accepts approved supplies. Rafah handles limited movement of people. Four other crossings remain closed under Israeli control.

“A truck full of non-priority supplies or the right supplies arriving too late, doesn’t save lives,” Van de Weerdt said. She argued that truck numbers matter less than whether real health needs are met.

Winter adds urgency. Nearly 2 million people need shelter as the cold season begins, according to Al Jazeera. Disease risks rise without safe shelter and clean water. The WHO also warned of public health dangers in Gaza City, where rubbish is piling up for lack of machinery, fuel and spare parts.

Israel’s position is different. CP24 reported that Israel says it blocks items with potential military use. It cites security concerns about Hamas.

The WHO wants unimpeded entry of supplies, more border crossings and published guidance on how approvals work. These are procedural demands, not political ones. They would make delays visible and measurable.

The warning comes nearly 12 months into a fragile ceasefire. Our earlier report on the Gaza death toll and the faltering ceasefire described the wider context.

Fact basis: Al Jazeera, 3 October 2026; CP24, 2 October 2026; The Jakarta Post, 3 October 2026.