WHO in occupied Palestinian territory
WHO analysis highlights vast unmet rehabilitation needs in Gaza
Jerusalem, Cairo, Geneva, 12 September 2024 - At least one quarter or 22 500 of those injured in Gaza by 23 July are estimated to have life-changing injuries that require rehabilitation services now and for years to come, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) analysis of the types of injuries resulting from the ongoing conflict in Gaza: Estimating...
First phase of polio campaign concludes successfully in Gaza
4 September 2024, over 187 000 children under ten years of age were vaccinated with novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) in central Gaza during the first phase of a two-round polio vaccination campaign, conducted between 1–3 September 2024. Vaccination coverage in this phase exceeded the initial estimated target of 157 000 children due to...
Humanitarian pauses vital for critical polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip
16 August 2024, two rounds of a polio vaccination campaign are expected to be launched at the end of August and September 2024 across the Gaza Strip to prevent the spread of circulating variant type 2 poliovirus (cVDPV2). WHO and UNICEF request all parties to the conflict to implement humanitarian pauses in the Gaza Strip for seven days to allow...
WHO and United Arab Emirates evacuate 85 patients from Gaza
30 July 2024 - Jerusalem, Cairo, Geneva - Today, 85 sick and severely injured patients from Gaza were evacuated to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), for specialized care. This extremely complex joint evacuation was supported by the the World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with the Government of the UAE and other partners. This is...
Fifteen children from Gaza to receive urgent medical care in Spain
24 July 2024 - Sixteen people from Gaza with complicated medical conditions will arrive in Spain today to receive care there, through an evacuation process involving the World Health Organization (WHO) and multiple partners. Fifteen of them are children, ranging in age from 3 to 17 years old. The mother of one of the children will also be treated in...
Variant type 2 poliovirus isolated from sewage samples in Gaza
Circulating variant type 2 poliovirus (cVDPV) has been confirmed in the Gaza Strip. Virus was isolated from six environmental (sewage) samples, collected from two different collection sites in two sub-regions within Gaza, collected on 23 June 2024. The variant poliovirus strains detected in six wastewater samples, collected from two environmental...
Statement by WHO Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy on visit to the occupied Palestinian territory
11 July 2024, Cairo, Egypt -- I have just returned from the occupied Palestinian territory, where I visited the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Jenin, and Gaza. The situation in Gaza is concerning on both a human and humanitarian level. I saw firsthand the scale of devastation: lives and homes in ruins, hospitals overwhelmed, and a fully...
WHO and the Government of Japan sign US$ 10 million agreement to support the health response in Gaza
WHO and the Government of Japan have signed a US$10 million agreement to bolster the emergency health response in Gaza amidst the ongoing conflict. The agreement, signed by H.E. Ambassador Nakashima and Dr. Richard Peepepkorn, WHO Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, aims to reach an estimated one million people with life-saving...
The European Union and the World Health Organization sign an agreement of EUR 2.88 million to support the Palestinian Health System
Jerusalem, 26 June 2024,the European Union and the World Health Organization signed an agreement to strengthen the health financing system and rationalize medical referrals, while protecting the poor and vulnerable patients. The agreement was signed at the Palestinian Prime Minister Office in the presence of the Palestinian Minister of Health Dr Majed...
WHO concerned about escalating health crisis in West Bank
14 June 2024 - WHO remains concerned about the escalating health crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory, including the West Bank, where attacks on health infrastructure and increased restrictions on movement are obstructing access to health care. A spike in violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the war in Gaza started...