The World Health Organization (WHO) announced Thursday it successfully delivered its first medical supplies to Gaza since Israel imposed a total blockade on March 2. Nine trucks carrying blood, plasma, and essential equipment entered via the Kerem Shalom crossing, though WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the shipment "a drop in the ocean" compared to Gaza's escalating needs.
A Lifeline for Gaza's Hospitals
The June 25 delivery includes 2,000 blood units and 1,500 plasma units destined for hospitals struggling with shortages. Supplies will prioritize facilities like the Nasser Medical Complex, which faces a surge in injuries linked to food distribution violence. Four additional WHO trucks remain at the crossing, with more en route.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
The UN's OCHA reported over 19,000 acute watery diarrhea cases in two weeks, alongside outbreaks of jaundice and bloody diarrhea—direct consequences of Gaza's collapsed water and sanitation systems. Tedros emphasized that "aid at scale" is urgently required to prevent further health system collapse.
While Israel permitted limited food aid starting May, this marks the first non-food shipment since March. WHO reiterated calls for "immediate, unimpeded" health aid access through all available routes to address what OCHA describes as "critical shortages threatening millions."
