UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations warned on Friday that humanitarian needs in Gaza remained “immense” despite an increased flow of aid into the Palestinian territory following the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) and World Food Programme (WFP) said they had been able to increase deliveries of supplies into the Gaza Strip after the fragile ceasefire took effect on January 19 following more than 15 months of war.
Meanwhile, UNRWA, the chief aid agency for Palestinians, told a media briefing in Geneva it was committed to continuing its work despite Israel severing ties on Thursday.
Speaking from Gaza, Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative in the Palestinian territories, said health needs in the densely populated strip were “immense”, amid the “large-scale devastation of the health system”.
Only 18 out of 36 hospitals in the besieged territory are even partially functional. Just 57 of the 142 primary healthcare centres are operational, along with 11 field hospitals.
Before the ceasefire, many attempts to deliver critical aid to Gaza were impeded due to strict restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities, according to UNRWA and NGOs.
The flow of health aid has now begun to rise, Peeperkorn said. WHO has received 62 delivery trucks and 22 more were expected over the next two days.
ALSO READ: WHO Demands Israel Release Gaza Hospital Director
He said hospitals at least now had fuel to operate. The WHO wants to expand hospital bed capacity and hopes to get a pre-fabricated hospital up within four to five weeks in the north.
Peeperkorn said bed capacity was 3,500-4,000 before the war and is currently around 1,500-1,900. The WHO wants to increase it to 2,000-2,500 as soon as possible.
Gaza had a pre-war population of around 2.4 million people. About 90 percent have been displaced, some repeatedly, since it began in October 2023.
The WHO estimates that 12,000 to 14,000 people, including 2,500 children, need medical evacuation from Gaza for urgent treatment.
