The World Health Organization said rebuilding and rehabilitating Gaza’s health system will require $10 billion in investment over the next five years, as the health sector continues to operate under severe destruction, shortages, and access restrictions.
Speaking during a UN press briefing in Geneva from Jerusalem, WHO Representative for the occupied Palestinian territory Reinhilde Van de Weerdt said damage to Gaza’s health sector alone is estimated at $1.4 billion.
She said more than 1,800 health facilities have been partially or completely destroyed, ranging from major hospitals to primary healthcare centers, clinics, pharmacies, and laboratories.
The WHO official said the level of destruction has severely undermined Gaza’s ability to provide essential medical care, while the broader collapse of infrastructure has created additional public health threats.
Van de Weerdt said destroyed buildings and large accumulations of waste had created ideal breeding grounds for rodents and pests across the Gaza Strip.
According to WHO, 80 percent of about 1,600 displacement sites reported frequent visible presence of rodents and pests. More than 80 percent of those sites also reported skin infections and infestations, including lice and bed bugs.
The conditions were reported at a time when hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians remain in overcrowded shelters and displacement sites, with limited access to sanitation, clean water, and medical care.
