official (UN News, 2 Oct 2026 — WHO Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Dr Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, Geneva · OCHA)
WHO: Gaza medical supplies delayed as winter hits nearly 2 million without shelter
The World Health Organization warned on Friday that repeated delays in moving lifesaving medicines, prosthetics and other supplies from Israel into Gaza risk devastating consequences for the people who need them. As winter begins, almost two million people in Gaza need shelter from the cold and the risk of flooding, WHO said.
Key facts
- Warning (WHO · Fri Oct 2)
- Repeated delays bringing lifesaving medicines, prosthetics and more from Israel into Gaza risk devastating consequences for Palestinians who urgently need them
- Prosthetics
- One shipment of prosthetics and assistive devices rejected four times in the last six months
- Medicines
- Move “relatively well”: almost 87% approved, just over 1% rejected
- Crossings
- Approved aid enters only via Kerem Shalom · Rafah open for limited movement of people, including patients going abroad for treatment · Kissufim, Gate 96, Erez and Erez West closed
- Dual use
- WHO says essential medicines “should not be considered as dual use” and asks Israeli authorities to “release the pressure on medical supplies”
- Winter
- Almost two million people need shelter against cold and flooding · heightened risk of preventable disease outbreaks from unsafe shelter, lack of clean water and rats · destroyed public health labs make epidemics harder to spot
- Context
- Almost 12 months into a fragile ceasefire marked by ongoing Israeli airstrikes and other military activity; OCHA calls the situation “overwhelming” and warns of solid waste piling up in central Gaza City
- WHO ask
- Unimpeded, predictable entry of humanitarian and health supplies at scale, and a multi-crossing model
A truck full of non-priority supplies or the right supplies arriving too late, doesn't save lives. That's the question that actually matters.
Dr Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, WHO Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (UN News, 2 Oct 2026)
Note
On Friday in Geneva, WHO’s representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Dr Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, warned that repeated delays in bringing lifesaving medicines, prosthetics and other supplies from Israel into Gaza risk devastating consequences. “A truck full of non-priority supplies or the right supplies arriving too late, doesn't save lives,” she said, according to UN News.
Almost 12 months into a fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, still marked by Israeli airstrikes and other military activity, the UN aid office OCHA calls Gaza’s humanitarian situation overwhelming. Approved aid can enter only through Kerem Shalom at the southern tip of the Strip, and Rafah is open only for limited movement of people, including patients needing treatment abroad. Kissufim, Gate 96, Erez and Erez West remain closed.
Van De Weerdt called on Israeli authorities to “release the pressure on medical supplies,” saying essential medicines should not be treated as dual-use items. In the last six months, one shipment of prosthetics and assistive devices was rejected four times. “Every rejection means another delay for someone who has already lost a limb and is simply waiting for the chance to walk again,” she said. Medicines move relatively well by comparison, with almost 87 per cent approved and just over 1 per cent rejected.
As winter begins, almost two million people need shelter against the cold and the risk of flooding. WHO expects a heightened risk of preventable disease outbreaks linked to the lack of safe shelter and clean water and the high number of rats, whose bites transmit infection, and says the destruction of public health laboratories has made potential epidemics harder to identify. OCHA separately warned of serious public health risks from solid waste piling up in the heart of Gaza City, and mine-action teams say they still lack the permissions and equipment to clear unexploded ordnance found during 37 assessment missions.
Why it matters
Prosthetics rejected four times, four crossings still shut, and almost two million people facing winter without proper shelter, while destroyed labs make the next preventable outbreak harder to catch.
Sources
- UN News — Gaza: WHO appeals for massive aid influx ahead of winter (Daniel Johnson, Geneva, 2 Oct 2026)
- Earlier on the board: WFP warns Yemen hunger surging as fighting displaces thousands
Primary + secondary attribution as listed.
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