NEW YORK, May 21, 2026 (WAFA) – The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip remains under enormous pressure, stressing the urgent need to allow the entry of essential supplies to prevent the collapse of critical equipment.

In its daily briefing issued Thursday, OCHA said the World Health Organization documented 22 attacks on healthcare facilities and services in Gaza, resulting in casualties or affecting medical transport and health facilities.

The office added that humanitarian partners reported continued difficulties in accessing water, noting that three out of every four families now depend on water delivered by trucks. Aid organizations are currently distributing around 24,000 cubic meters of water daily through approximately 2,000 distribution points.

However, OCHA warned that water delivery operations rely heavily on generators and machinery that are at risk of breaking down due to shortages of maintenance and repair materials.

Separately, the WHO said that during the first four months of this year, more than one-third of patient permit requests for medical treatment in East Jerusalem and Israel were either denied or delayed.

The organization noted that the approval rate is significantly lower than it was before the start of the war in October 2023, when more than two-thirds of such requests were approved.

M.N