WHO says at least $10 billion needed over 5-7 years to rebuild Gaza health system
3 billion required in first year, says envoy; UN agency chief says fewer than half of Gaza’s hospitals functional, urges Israel, Hamas to start ceasefire now
At least $10 billion will likely be needed to rebuild Gaza’s devastated health system over the next five to seven years, the World Health Organization said in an initial assessment Thursday.
“The needs are massive,” said Rick Peeperkorn, the UN health agency’s representative in the Palestinian territories, in a virtual press conference.
The call to scale up international aid to Gaza comes amid humanitarian’ efforts to assess the damage there, a day after negotiators in Doha said they’d struck a deal between Israel and Hamas that would end 15 months of fighting in the Strip.
Peeperkorn said his team’s initial estimate of the cost to rebuild just the health sector was “even more than $3 billion for the first 1.5 years and then actually $10 billion for the five to seven years.”
“In Gaza, we all know the destruction is so massive. I have never seen that anywhere else in my life,” he said.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “less than half of Gaza hospitals are functional.”
He said Wednesday’s agreement was “just about the best news,” adding that he hoped “this agreement marks the end of the darkest chapter in the history of the relationship between the Israelis and the Palestinians.”
“We welcome this news with great relief, but also with sorrow that it has come too late for those who have died in the conflict,” he said.
He also voiced “caution, given that we have had false dawns before, and the deal has not yet been confirmed.”
While the mediators said the deal was due to take effect on Sunday, Tedros urged the sides not to wait.
“If both sides are committed to a ceasefire, it should start immediately,” he said. “The best medicine is peace.”
“So, let the healing begin, not just for Gaza, but for Israel as well. This is in everyone’s best interest.”
Peeperkorn said the WHO stood ready to “expand its support rapidly” in the territory.
“What is critical though is that the significant security the political obstacles to delivering aid across Gaza are removed,” he said.
“We need a rapid, unhindered and safe access to expedite the flow of aid into and across Gaza.”
