GENEVA — Getting humanitarian aid through Israel into Gaza is layered with "delay after delay", the World Health Organization said late Friday, as it decried "chronic shortages" of medical supplies. According to Arab News and Nukta reports on October 3, 2026, Reinhilde Van de Weerdt, the WHO's representative in the Palestinian territories, said the health situation in the Gaza Strip "remains utterly dire", with none of its hospitals fully functional. WHO said medical aid faces a median 74-day clearance delay at Israeli checkpoints. Essential supplies, including maternal and child medical supplies, prosthetics, and sterilization equipment, are blocked at the Kerem Shalom crossing. "Medical supplies shortage, Gaza hospitals critical, no fuel, no ICU beds, patients waiting," signs on aid trucks highlight the crisis. Only 35 hospitals in Gaza are partially functioning, according to the Palestinian Information Center. Gaza's health system suffocates as Israel blocks supplies. UN OCHA teams coordinating with WHO report that entry is denied, and they have waited weeks for clearance. The WHO warned that Israeli delays on medical aid threaten lives. The health agency said Gaza faces chronic shortages of medical kits, surgical supplies, and urgent medicines needed for trauma and maternal care. This comes as Gaza health officials report 1,445 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since ceasefire on Oct 10, 2025, with health system unable to cope.