Gaza medical stocks critically low, WHO warns

Medical supplies in Gaza are running dangerously low, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday, even after Israel partially reopened a key border crossing this week.

WHO’s regional director Hanan Balkhy reported that essential items such as gauze and needles have already run out, citing updates from Gaza’s Health Ministry. Hospitals in the enclave, still reeling from the two-year Israel-Hamas war, face critical shortages, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

“Stocks of essential medicines, trauma supplies, and surgical consumables are critically low, and fuel shortages continue to limit hospital operations,” Balkhy said. “The situation is difficult, and we will be running out of whatever is remaining.”

The Kerem Shalom border crossing, controlled by Israel, reopened Tuesday for the gradual entry of humanitarian aid. Earlier closures were prompted by missile threats from Iran amid an escalating air conflict following Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran.

The Rafah crossing into Egypt, Gaza’s main exit point for civilians, remains closed, leaving medical evacuations suspended. Around 18,000 people—including injured children and patients with chronic illnesses—are awaiting evacuation, according to the UN.

Balkhy added that only a fraction of the necessary aid trucks have been allowed in. “We’re talking about a maximum of 200 out of 600 daily trucks reaching Gaza, which is not enough to meet urgent needs,” she said, urging more fuel access to keep hospitals running.

Half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain closed following last October’s ceasefire, while the hospitals that are open struggle to provide critical services such as surgery, dialysis, and intensive care.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada