Segun James
As the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip takes effect from 0630 GMT today, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said more than $10 billion is required to restore Gaza’s shattered healthcare system.
WHO added that the ceasefire could boost aid deliveries to 600 trucks daily.
Qatar, which helped mediate the ceasefire, yesterday confirmed that the deal takes effect from today.
“As coordinated by the parties to the agreement and the mediators, the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will begin at 8:30 am on Sunday, January 19, local time in Gaza,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said on X.
“We advise the inhabitants to take precaution, exercise the utmost caution, and wait for directions from official sources.”
The exact time of the ceasefire’s start had been unclear, though Israel, whose cabinet earlier yesterday approved the hostage and prisoner exchange deal, had said no prisoners would be freed before 1400 GMT.
Meanwhile, WHO said the Gaza ceasefire could boost aid deliveries to 600 trucks daily amid reports that Israel’s security cabinet has given the green light to a ceasefire deal with Hamas.
The body also said more than $10 billion is required to restore Gaza’s shattered healthcare system.
WHO’s representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, expressed the optimism in a statement at the weekend.
“The target is to get between 500 and 600 trucks per day over the coming weeks,” Peeperkorn said.
This would represent “a huge increase” from the 40 to 50 lorries reaching Gaza in recent months and be similar to the level of aid reaching Gaza before war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023.
Speaking from Jerusalem, the WHO medic described the ceasefire announcement as “a sign of hope”.
He, however, warned that the challenge is massive and daunting because of chronic and severe shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies.
According to him, plans are in place for deliveries to begin on Sunday.
“We have ordered temporary prefabricated clinics and hospitals.
“We will integrate into the existing health facilities as part of the plan to expand some needed bed capacity, address urgent health needs and health service delivery.”
Humanitarians have repeatedly warned that the crisis in Gaza for civilians has reached catastrophic levels.
More than 46,000 people have been killed, according to the authorities, and more than 110,000 have been injured – often with life-changing injuries – since the conflict began in October 2023.
“Disease is spreading, and the risk of famine remains high – needs that are critical to addressing, especially when more than 12,000 patients – a third of them children – still await evacuation for specialised care,” Peeperkorn said.
He complained that the pace of evacuations has been painfully slow.
Of 1,200 requests submitted between November and December 2024, only 29 were approved, a rate of just 2.4 per cent, according to WHO.
The WHO and other agencies have stressed the immediate need to provide food, water, and medical supplies, but also fuel and spare parts for hospital generators.
Gaza’s healthcare system has been shattered, with only half of its 36 hospitals currently operational.
Critical health infrastructure continues to be targeted, according to the UN health agency, which pointed to 664 healthcare attacks since October that have caused deaths among civilians and medical workers, also damaging vital health facilities.
Despite the dire conditions, WHO aims to implement an ambitious 60-day emergency health response plan, once a ceasefire kicks in.
This includes scaling up existing health efforts, setting up temporary medical clinics, and restoring essential healthcare services.
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