The Gaza ceasefire has not restored reliable access to health care

A ceasefire arrangement in Gaza has not restored reliable access to health care, according to a World Health Organization assessment published August 11 and humanitarian updates issued in August.

WHO’s latest Health Resources and Services Availability Monitoring System, or HeRAMS, uses data reported through July 31 to map the operational status of health-service delivery units across Gaza, the services they can provide and the barriers limiting care. WHO says the deployment remains ongoing, data verification and validation continue, and the assessment is not final. It was produced to inform operations, not to serve as a complete census.

Health transport remains a major barrier

The assessment matters because a functioning health system requires more than buildings and medical supplies. Patients must be able to reach clinics and hospitals, ambulances must move safely, facilities need fuel and water, and medical evacuations must be approved and completed without dangerous delays.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported August 14 that WHO had recorded 45 attacks affecting health care in Gaza during 2026 through early August. Nearly half were recorded in Rafah. OCHA said that in most cases health transport was affected and the delivery of care was obstructed.

OCHA said many of the reported incidents occurred during medical-evacuation operations near Rafah crossing. Convoys were obstructed, delayed or searched, and in some cases patients or their companions were detained. As a result, people may remain unable to reach specialized treatment even when a referral exists and humanitarian cargo is entering Gaza.

Shipments do not equal access to care

Humanitarian shipments can replenish stocks, but they do not by themselves reopen damaged facilities or make travel safe. OCHA cited an early-July survey in which 90% of Gaza’s population experienced frequent, unpredictable disruptions in access to safe, clean and reliable water for drinking, cooking and hygiene. The agency also reported continuing constraints on rehabilitation supplies and assistive products.

Those shortages have consequences beyond immediate injuries. OCHA said roughly one-quarter of Palestinians injured in Gaza since October 2023 are estimated to be living with potentially life-changing injuries, including amputations, spinal-cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries. It also reported that Gaza has no specialized pediatric rehabilitation services.

Recent damage shows how fragile essential services remain

UNICEF reported August 28 that a warehouse containing more than $770,000 worth of nutrition supplies was destroyed by a nearby strike. The supplies were intended to support more than 40,500 vulnerable children ages 6 to 23 months, as well as 4,900 pregnant and breastfeeding women.

UNICEF also said a UNICEF-supported water well and desalination facility in the Deir al-Balah area was severely damaged by a nearby strike on August 24. More than 4,000 people, including about 2,000 children, rely on the facility for safe drinking water. UNICEF and its partners are providing emergency water trucking while the facility is unable to operate. UNICEF did not establish in its statement that the damage was intentional.

UNICEF separately reported that at least four children were killed and many others injured over five days. Those are reported casualty figures from UNICEF and its partners, not an independently verified total.

Why the ceasefire distinction matters

The Associated Press reported August 28 that Israeli strikes killed five people in Gaza despite the fragile ceasefire. Local hospital officials reported the deaths. Israel’s military confirmed strikes in two areas of Gaza City, according to AP.

Continued violence helps explain why health access cannot be measured only by the number of trucks admitted or supplies unloaded. The more meaningful test is whether residents can safely reach functioning clinics and hospitals, whether medical evacuations proceed predictably, and whether water, fuel, nutrition and rehabilitation services remain available after supplies arrive.

For civilians, the difference is practical: a ceasefire can reduce the intensity of fighting without rebuilding the system needed to deliver care. Until movement is safer and essential infrastructure is restored, humanitarian access will remain partial even when some aid enters Gaza.

Sources

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