Gaza aid delay causes chronic shortage of medical supplies, WHO says

What Happened

The World Health Organization's representative in the Palestinian territories, Reinhilde Van de Weerdt, said on Friday that humanitarian aid entering Gaza via Israel is subject to "delay after delay," causing chronic shortages of medical supplies and leaving no hospital in Gaza fully functional. Speaking from Jerusalem to reporters in Geneva, she attributed the bottleneck to Israel's approval system for medical and humanitarian supplies, saying large volumes wait a median of 74 days for clearance and that rejected items require restarting the process. Van de Weerdt cited WHO analysis showing standard health kits have the lowest approval rate, while X-ray machines, sterilisation equipment, and spare parts for CT scans and other essential machinery "get rejected regularly." In the last six months alone, one shipment of prosthetics and assistive devices was rejected four separate times. Medicines move "relatively well," with almost 87 percent approved and one percent rejected, she added.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The statement underscores how wartime import restrictions and bureaucratic bottlenecks are compounding Gaza's health crisis at a time when no hospital is fully functional. A 74-day median clearance for medical supplies creates uncertainty for UN agencies and aid groups, directly affecting trauma care, disease treatment, and rehabilitation.

Watch For

Monitor whether Israeli authorities, including any designated crossing authority, respond to WHO's claims or adjust the approval process. Watch for WHO's next public update on medical supply clearance times, approval rates, and hospital functionality, and whether specific rejected items such as prosthetics and CT spare parts are eventually approved.