The cease-fire in Gaza brings hope, but we face enormous challenges in re-establishing the health system

The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes the ceasefire in Gaza, an agreement to release hostages and prisoners, which brings hope to millions of people whose lives have been devastated by the conflict.

The health challenges that lie ahead of us are enormous. The entire population of Gaza faces multiple displacements. More than 46,600 people died and over 110,000 were injured. The actual numbers are probably much higher. Only half of Gaza's 36 hospitals remain partially operational, almost all hospitals are damaged or partially destroyed, and only 38% of primary health care centers are functional. An estimated 25% of those injured – around 30,000 people – face life-changing injuries and will require ongoing rehabilitation. Specialized health care is mostly unavailable, medical evacuations abroad are extremely slow. The transmission of infectious diseases has greatly increased, malnutrition is on the rise, and the threat of starvation remains. Disruption of public order, exacerbated by armed gangs, is of further concern.

Addressing the enormous needs and rebuilding the health system will be an extremely complex and challenging task, given the scale of the destruction, the operational complexity and the constraints involved. Billions of investments are needed to support health system recovery, which will require unwavering commitment from donors and the international community.

WHO is ready to scale up the response together with UN health partners, including UNFPA, UNICEF, UNRWA and the 67 Health Cluster partners. However, it is crucial to remove safety barriers that hinder work. WHO will need conditions on the ground that allow systematic access to the population across Gaza, allow aid to flow across all possible borders and routes, and lift restrictions on the entry of essential items. Active protection of civilians and health workers, expediting medical evacuations by all possible routes for more than 12,000 patients (and their companions) who urgently need specialized care, strengthening and speeding up the referral system in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and addressing road repairs are also key. , removal of rubble and rehabilitation of unexploded ordnance.

WHO and partners will need a major increase in funding to meet current health needs and to begin rebuilding the health system, including workforce, supply chain and infrastructure.

WHO and partners will implement a 60-day plan to support emergency health system reconstruction and expansion. The focus will be on key priority areas of response, including trauma and emergency care, comprehensive primary health care, child health, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), rehabilitation, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS).

Given the enormous needs, WHO is scaling up operations and mobilizing critical supplies and resources for delivery to Gaza. The priority will be the assessment and rehabilitation of partially damaged health facilities in areas with high needs. Work is underway to urgently increase bed capacity in selected hospitals in northern and southern Gaza, along with expanding operational capacity, supporting the recruitment and redeployment of national health workers, and increasing deployment of international health workers to fill gaps. Plans are underway to integrate prefabricated clinics and hospitals with existing health facilities to improve service delivery in underserved and newly accessible areas.

Efforts are also underway to strengthen the ICU referral process within Gaza and facilitate cross-border medical evacuations. Given the high levels of malnutrition and disease outbreaks, WHO is working with partners to expand infant and young child nutrition programs, improve immunization efforts and strengthen disease surveillance systems for timely prevention, reporting and management of disease outbreaks.

WHO calls on all parties to maintain their commitment to the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement and to continue working towards a political solution to resolve the protracted crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which is essential for lasting peace.