WHO Urges Multi-Crossing Gaza Aid Before Winter — SkimNews
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- WHO appealed for a massive, unimpeded aid influx into Gaza ahead of winter, with Dr. Reinhilde Van De Weerdt (WHO Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory) warning that 'a truck full of non-priority supplies or the right supplies arriving too late, doesn't save lives.'
- Israel currently allows approved aid into Gaza only through the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south, while at least four other main entry points — Kissufim, Gate 96, Erez, and Erez West — remain closed; Rafah is open only for limited movement of medical patients.
- Dr. Van De Weerdt urged Israel to stop classifying essential medicines as 'dual use' items, noting one shipment of prosthetics and assistive devices was rejected four times in the last six months; by contrast, ~87% of medicines are approved and just over 1% rejected.
- OCHA warned Thursday that fragile sanitation gains in Gaza risk reversal due to a lack of heavy machinery, engine oil, and spare parts, and flagged serious public health risks from accumulating solid waste in Gaza City.
- Mine action partners reported they still lack 'permissions and equipment' to remove unexploded ordnance hazards identified during 37 assessment missions in Gaza's rubble.
- Palestinians — almost 2 million people in Gaza need shelter to protect against winter cold and flooding, which WHO said will deepen disease-outbreak risks already fueled by unsafe shelter, dirty water, and rat bites.
Why it matters: The single-crossing constraint (Kerem Shalom only) makes WHO's 'multi-crossing model' demand a concrete policy ask, not vague humanitarian language. If met, it would unlock winter shelter for ~2 million Palestinians and end 'dual use' denials that already rejected one prosthetics shipment four times in six months — a bottleneck measured in amputees still waiting to walk.
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