WHO calls Gaza conditions 'indescribable', urges access

The World Health Organization pleaded with Israel on Wednesday to allow the WHO and other UN agencies access to deliver aid within the Gaza Strip. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General said "The situation is indescribable. Almost 90 percent of the population of Gaza - 1.9 million - people have been displaced, and many have been forced to move multiple times. People are standing in line for hours for a small amount of water, which may not be clean. Or bread, which alone is not sufficiently nutritious."  "The barrier to delivering humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza is not the capabilities of the UN, WHO or our partners. The barrier is access. We call on Israel to approve requests by WHO and other partners to deliver humanitarian aid. We continue to call for a ceasefire."

Tedros said its teams have had to cancel six planned missions to northern Gaza since December 26 as their requests were rejected and assurances of safe passage were not provided.", while a mission planned for Wednesday was also called off.