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The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Friday that hospitals in Gaza are being prevented from functioning properly because of severe shortages of medical supplies, as it criticized Israeli restrictions on essential items.
Reinhilde Van de Weerdt, the WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, said most hospitals and primary health care centers in the Gaza Strip were only partially operational, and that no hospital was fully functional.
“One of the key reasons these facilities are not functioning is because they are struggling with critical shortages of medical supplies,” Van de Weerdt told a press conference in Geneva.
Van de Weerdt said part of the problem was Israel blocking the entry of items it says are “dual use,” meaning they could potentially be used for military purposes.
“WHO has internationally recognized lists of essential medicines. That is what we are talking about,” she said.
“Essential medicines, essential supplies are essential,” she added. “There should be no bureaucratic processes and access restrictions.”
She cited several examples of medical equipment being delayed, including a prefabricated hospital that has been “waiting for months” in Jordan.
Van de Weerdt said that without laboratory equipment, health workers cannot diagnose diseases or detect possible outbreaks.
“Without oxygen concentrators, let's just be honest—there are critically ill patients that die,” she said.
A shaky ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas officially came into effect on Oct. 10, 2025.
The first phase of the truce saw the release of the last Israeli hostages seized in October 2023 in exchange for some Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
However, Israeli strikes have continued, while the Israeli military and Hamas have accused each other of violating the truce.
Van de Weerdt said that despite the ceasefire, at least 880 Palestinians had been killed and more than 2,600 wounded since it was declared.
The WHO has documented 22 Israeli attacks on health care in Gaza this year.
Van de Weerdt said more than 43,000 people in Gaza have life-changing injuries from the conflict, including 10,000 children.
She said they require long-term rehabilitation, prosthetics and assistive devices, many of which face delays and restrictions on entry.
“What we manage to get in barely scratches the surface of what is needed,” she said.
The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution in November 2025 endorsing the U.S.-backed peace plan, which called for the full resumption of humanitarian aid.
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