The Road to Recovery: Rebuilding Gaza’s Health System Amid Cease-Fire Efforts
Gaza, a territory ravaged by 15 months of relentless conflict, is now standing on the brink of a fragile cease-fire. While the guns may be quieting, the harrowing reality for its citizens remains anything but calm. As the World Health Organization (WHO) sets its sights on restoring medical services and addressing urgent humanitarian needs, there’s a sense of cautious hope. However, the path ahead is an uphill one, requiring political will, cooperation, and a dedication to rebuilding the shattered health infrastructure.
Let’s unpack what’s happening on the ground and beyond, as the world watches the first steps toward reviving Gaza.
A Glimmer of Hope Amid Months of Devastation
After over a year of war that devastated Gaza, a cease-fire was announced this week, with implementation expected as early as Sunday. For the first time in months, there’s a possibility for critical humanitarian aid to flow more freely into the region. The WHO, along with other agencies, is gearing up to scale up operations dramatically.
In recent months, only 40 to 50 aid trucks have made their way into Gaza daily through the Rafah crossing at the border with Egypt. This crossing, a key lifeline for crucial supplies, has remained mostly shut since May. The hope now is to increase that number tenfold, delivering between 500 and 600 trucks daily. These trucks are essential, carrying everything from food and tents to medical supplies, all desperately needed by Gaza’s battered population.
But the success of these efforts hinges on whether Israel and other stakeholders open up key entry points, particularly at Rafah and other northern and southern routes. As Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO representative for Palestinian territories, put it: “We will see if the political will is there.”
Meanwhile, hundreds of aid trucks are already lined up in Arish, Egypt, just waiting for the green light to cross into Gaza, signaling the urgency of the situation and the readiness of the international community to step in.
Broken Hospitals, Shattered Lives
Half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are not operational, and those that remain open are functioning only partially. To put it simply, the healthcare system is crumbling under a mountain of unmet needs. From doctors struggling without basic medical supplies to patients enduring prolonged suffering due to the lack of treatments, the human cost of the conflict is staggering.
Dr. Peeperkorn paints a grim picture of the rehabilitation needed. The estimate? Over $10 billion over the next five to seven years to rebuild Gaza’s health system. But right now, the WHO’s focus is on urgent, life-saving interventions. Critical supplies—medications, trauma kits, fuel, and spare generator parts—are at the top of their list. Addressing broader infrastructure issues like repairing broken electricity grids, water pipelines, and waste management systems is equally essential for curbing a potential public health disaster.
Adding to the gravity of the situation, the WHO plans to roll out prefabricated hospitals and deploy emergency medical teams. It’s a stopgap measure meant to compensate for hospitals heavily damaged or destroyed in the fighting, but it underscores how far Gaza is from recovery.
A Looming Evacuation Crisis
While medical care in Gaza is scarce, medical evacuations for those who require specialized treatments are also severely limited. Over 12,000 people—many of them children—are in desperate need of medical evacuation. These individuals are battling war-related injuries or chronic conditions for which there’s simply no treatment available in Gaza.
Consider this: The WHO reports that since the war began, Israel has approved the evacuation of 5,405 patients. Yet, during a critical one-month period at the end of 2024, only 29 out of 1,200 patients earmarked for relocation were actually transferred. The numbers lay bare the stark gap between approval and action.
James Elder, a spokesman for UNICEF, made a powerful observation: “This is not a logistical problem. It’s a problem of intent.” It’s a chilling indictment of the obstacles standing in the way of getting critically ill patients the care they desperately need.
The WHO is now pushing to restart regular patient transfers to hospitals in East Jerusalem and Egypt, as well as to overseas facilities. These transfer programs, once routine, are essential for alleviating the immense strain on Gaza’s limited health resources.
Humanitarian Aid and the Broader Picture
The cease-fire, while tenuous, provides a potentially transformative opportunity for humanitarian aid. Hundreds of trucks, already loaded with supplies, stand as a testament to the urgent will to act. But the challenge lies not in amassing resources but in overcoming political and logistical hurdles to get them where they’re needed most.
Organizations like the WHO are emphasizing the need for swift action to rebuild healthcare systems that have been pushed to the brink. From providing life-saving trauma care to addressing long-term infrastructure deficiencies, the priorities are clear—but the clock is ticking.
At stake here isn’t just the health of a population but the foundational stability of Gaza itself. In a region where hope has often been in short supply, progress—no matter how incremental—has the power to transform lives. But it requires unwavering political will, cooperation, and a commitment to seeing recovery through—not just in the short term but for the years to come.
What Lies Ahead
As we watch Gaza take its first tentative steps toward recovery, it’s evident that this is about more than aid trucks, crossing points, or even cease-fires. It’s about rebuilding trust, fostering intent, and, ultimately, prioritizing the lives of those who have borne the brunt of war.
For the WHO and others in the humanitarian space, the mission is clear: deliver critical supplies, rebuild infrastructure, and provide a semblance of hope to a population in dire need. The road may be long, but with coordinated efforts and a commitment to supporting Gaza’s people, there’s a chance to turn the tide, however gradually.
In a region scarred by conflict and uncertainty, the possibility of a brighter future may be its most vital medicine. How the world seizes this moment remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: there’s no time to waste.
