WHO chief warns Gaza aid still far below need, urges Rafah reopening

Trucks carry aid for Palestinians, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip. (REUTERS)

The World Health Organization said on Thursday aid to Gaza was still only a "fraction of what's needed" as the health agency attempts to rebuild the region's healthcare system.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said while humanitarian deliveries were increasing, rebuilding Gaza's medical infrastructure could likely cost at least $7 billion.

The two-year-long Israel-Hamas war is currently in a ceasefire under a U.S.-brokered agreement. Palestinian health authorities peg the number of casualties in the Gaza Strip at more than 67,000 people, with nearly a third of the dead under the age of 18.

Tedros urged the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, where a significant amount of aid is currently stuck, ready to enter Gaza.

The rate of transfers slowed to a trickle when Israel seized control of the Rafah crossing and it was closed in May 2024. Fewer than four patients have exited Gaza daily since a previous ceasefire collapsed in March.

WHO said while the "food situation" in Gaza had seen a slight improvement during the current ceasefire, significantly more effort was needed to reverse the crisis, with more than 600,000 people still facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity.

'DIRE' OUTLOOK

The health agency said it saw a "dire" global funding outlook for next year and projected more than 14 million avoidable deaths worldwide as a result of the cuts.

The United States quit the WHO earlier this year, citing the agency's alleged mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health crises.

The exit of one of its top donors has created a multi-billion-dollar funding gap in WHO's 2026–27 budget, forcing the agency to cut its proposed spending by 21%.