By Staff, Agencies

The World Health Organization [WHO] reported that 16,500 patients in Gaza are still awaiting evacuation for medical treatment abroad, highlighting that medical supplies are ready at the border but can't enter due to "Israel's" closure of crossings.

The Geneva-based UN agency, in a statement on Monday, called for ensuring the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid through all crossings into the Gaza Strip, given the critically deteriorating health and humanitarian situation.

It demanded the urgent reopening of the Rafah crossing, stressing that it is a critical conduit for medical evacuations and an essential entry point for health supplies into Gaza.

The WHO also stressed the need for more countries to accept patients and the injured from Gaza for treatment.

The statement underscored that the health system in Gaza is facing complete collapse as a result of the ongoing blockade and shortages of medical supplies and fuel.

The organization emphasized that thousands of injured individuals are in urgent need of surgeries that cannot be conducted within the Gaza Strip. It highlighted the growing humanitarian urgency of arranging their transfer to hospitals outside Gaza.

Meanwhile, the United Nations says "Israeli" restrictions continue to obstruct the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, even a month after the ceasefire between "Tel Aviv" and the Hamas Resistance movement was implemented.

“One month into the ceasefire, efforts to ramp up aid are still being held back by red tape, ongoing bans on key humanitarian partners, too few crossings and routes, and insecurity that persists despite the ceasefire,” UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said at a news conference on Monday as he cited the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [OCHA].

“In some areas, our teams still have to coordinate every movement in advance with the 'Israeli' authorities,” he added.

Haq noted that "Israel" facilitated only two out of eight aid attempts entirely and “four were impeded on the ground — including one that was delayed for 10 hours before the team finally received a green light to move.”

He stressed that the UN and its partners are “seizing every opportunity to expand operations” despite the daunting challenges.

Since October 2023, "Israel's" genocidal war has claimed lives of at least 69,179 people, mostly women and children, and injured nearly 170,700 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.