Amman, Mar. 6 (Petra)-- The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that medical supplies in the Gaza Strip have reached critically low levels as limited deliveries of aid continue to hinder the health sector’s ability to function.

WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Hanan Balkhy said that some essential medical items, including gauze and needles, have already run out.

"In Gaza, the health system remains extremely fragile," Balkhy said. "Stocks of essential medicines, trauma treatment supplies, and surgical consumables are critically low, while fuel shortages are limiting hospitals’ operational capacity," according to remarks cited by the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA).

She warned that without consistent access for humanitarian aid including the safe transport of medical supplies and the resumption of medical evacuation operations patients will continue to face life-threatening delays in receiving care.

Balkhy noted that the WHO managed to deliver some medical supplies and fuel into Gaza on Tuesday and Wednesday, but several aid trucks remain stranded in the Egyptian city of El Arish.

She added that the number of trucks entering the enclave does not exceed 200 per day, far below the estimated 600 trucks needed daily to meet Gaza’s humanitarian needs. She also called for increased fuel deliveries to keep hospitals running.

According to the WHO, half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain closed since the ceasefire, while the facilities still operating are struggling to maintain vital services such as surgeries, dialysis treatments, and intensive care.

Balkhy also noted that the Rafah Crossing, the main exit point for most Gaza residents, remains closed, and medical evacuation operations have been suspended.

WHO data show that around 18,000 people including injured children and patients with chronic illnesses are currently waiting for medical evacuation.

//Petra// MF