Gaza's Generational Health Crisis: WHO Predicts Long-Term Ramifications

Tue Oct 28 2025 14:53:43 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The World Health Organization warns of a prolonged health catastrophe in Gaza stemming from a combination of disease, injuries, and famine, calling for urgent relief efforts.

Gaza faces a health crisis that could last generations, according to WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The region is grappling with a humanitarian disaster exacerbated by limited aid, ongoing violence, and severe medical shortages. While some medical supplies have begun to flow into the region following a ceasefire, it remains insufficient to address the catastrophic conditions for its population. The WHO stresses the need for a significant increase in aid to help restore Gaza's collapsed healthcare system and warns of the dire long-term health impacts if the situation persists.

Gaza is experiencing a health catastrophe that will last for generations to come, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that a massive increase in aid is needed to begin to address the complex needs of the Strip's population.

Israel has allowed more medical supplies and other aid to cross into Gaza since a ceasefire with Hamas came into effect on 10 October, but Dr. Tedros said levels are below those needed to rebuild the territory's healthcare system.

His intervention comes as the US attempts to shore up the ceasefire it helped to broker following an outbreak of violence at the weekend.

The agreement has been described by the White House as the first phase of a 20-point peace plan that includes an increase to the amount of aid entering Gaza, and supplies distributed without interference from either side.

Dr. Tedros told the Today programme he welcomed the ceasefire deal but said the increase in aid that followed has been smaller than expected.

Asked about the situation on the ground, he said Gazans had experienced famine, overwhelming injuries, a collapsed healthcare system, and outbreaks of disease fueled by the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure.

He continued: On top of that, [there is] restricted access to humanitarian aid. This is a very fatal combination, so that makes [the situation] catastrophic and beyond words.

He added, If you take the famine and combine it with a mental health problem which we see is rampant, then the situation is a crisis for generations to come.

Dr. Tedros called on Israeli authorities to de-link aid and the wider conflict, as 600 aid lorries a day are necessary to meet the needs but only 200 to 300 are currently arriving.

In response to the crisis, Tom Fletcher, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, stated that aid groups are turning the tide on the starvation crisis but that far more help is needed.

Dr. Tedros's comments come amid ongoing tensions, where aid deliveries were temporarily halted due to violence, leaving many in critical need of medical support.

He condemned the use of aid as a bargaining chip and emphasized the importance of unrestricted access to humanitarian support for the Gazan population.

Since the military campaign began in response to Hamas’s actions on October 7, the estimated death toll in Gaza has exceeded 68,000, intensifying the urgency for international humanitarian assistance.