A top World Health Organization official just returned from Gaza says the situation is catastrophic, with critical medical supplies blocked at the border and disease gaining ground.
Dr. Renee Van de Weerdt, WHO’s representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, told reporters in Geneva, "Nothing prepares you for Gaza." She noted that since the October 2025 ceasefire, at least 880 people have been killed and more than 2,600 injured. "There is perhaps less fire, but the violence continues," she said.
Half of Gaza's hospitals are only 'partially functional,' and none are fully operational due to critical shortages of medical supplies. Vital equipment, including lab reagents and oxygen concentrators, is blocked at the border. Dr. Van de Weerdt warned this makes it impossible to diagnose diseases or detect potential outbreaks like hantavirus or Ebola.
Under Israeli regulations, some items are banned as "dual use" items, including prosthetic limbs. Some 5,000 amputees in Gaza are waiting for prosthetics and corrective surgery, which cannot take place in Gaza.
Medical evacuations are ongoing, but extremely difficult. UNRWA's Director of Health, Dr. Akihiro Seita, reported the agency provided 4.5 million medical consultations last year, but Israeli parliamentary bans have complicated operations. Dr. Van de Weerdt insisted, "Nobody can replace what UNRWA is doing."
Almost 400 UNRWA staff were killed during the war. Dr. Seita recounted one staff member saying, "I feel like I’ve become an orphan of the world. No one’s taking care of us. They forgot us."