WHO says medical aid ‘loaded and ready to go’ into Gaza’: WHO

LONDON: (Reuters): Five trucks of medical supplies are ready at the border between Gaza and Egypt, the World Health Organization said on Thursday, welcoming Israel’s announcement that it will not block the entry of aid into the Palestinian territory.

The Gaza Strip continues to bear the heavy toll of a relentless conflict, with the health ministry in the territory reporting that more than 3,700 people have lost their lives since the onset of the hostilities.

As the conflict persists, the enclave remains under siege, with Israel imposing restrictions on the flow of essential supplies, including water, electricity, food, and fuel, through its borders.

“Our trucks are loaded and ready to go,” WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference. He said he hoped the supplies would be delivered as soon as the Rafah crossing opened, “hopefully tomorrow”.

The delivery of aid is set to be the first after Israel said it would impose a “total blockade” on the narrow Gaza Strip that is home to 2.3 million people, cutting electricity supplies and halting flows of food and fuel, in response to a devastating attack from Hamas on Israeli territory on October 7.

There have also been heavy Israel air strikes in the war with Hamas. The UN has warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe”.

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Since midnight, Israeli forces have escalated their military operations, conducting intense airstrikes in various areas across the Gaza Strip. In Rafah, the initial strike resulted in the tragic loss of 33 lives.

A second strike took place in Khan Younis, targeting a residential dwelling. According to medical sources, this harrowing incident led to the deaths of 11 family members, including six children. The total death toll in Gaza today has now climbed to 44, illustrating the profound human cost of the ongoing violence.

Furthermore, the sounds of Israeli tank shells reverberate across the eastern barrier of the Gaza Strip, adding to the turmoil and unease in the region.

With two weeks of relentless conflict taking a severe toll, Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure is on the brink of collapse. Hospitals are overwhelmed, and the entire medical system is grappling with the repercussions of scarce supplies. As a result, medical professionals are forced to perform surgeries on patients without the aid of anesthesia, highlighting the dire humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region.