WHO calls for surge in humanitarian aid to Gaza after 4-day truce agreement

The World Health Organization’s regional office on Wednesday called for enhanced humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, saying more aid is imperative to enable hospitals to fulfil the growing needs of the affected people.

Dr. Ahmed Mandhari, the WHO regional head for the Eastern Mediterranean, made the call during a briefing in Egypt’s capital Cairo to discuss the humanitarian conditions in the besieged Gaza Strip after Israel and Hamas agreed on a humanitarian pause.

The appeal comes in the wake of a recent humanitarian pause deal between Hamas and Israel, aiming to provide relief to the enclave and exchange hostages.

Mandhari also drew attention to the alarming toll on civilians in Gaza, adding that more than half of the fatalities were women and children.

Under the Israel-Hamas agreement, 50 Israelis held by Hamas will be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails, Israeli media reported.

The deal also includes a four-day pause in fighting and the entry of 300 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid, including fuel, into the Gaza Strip.

The agreement also allows an extension of the pause and the potential release of more children and women held by the two sides.

Israel estimates that at least 239 Israelis are being held by Hamas following its cross-border attack on Oct. 7.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip following the Hamas attack, killing more than 14,128 Palestinians, including 5,840 children and 3,920 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.