.@WHO’s staff residence in Deir al Balah, #Gaza, was attacked three times today as well as its main warehouse. Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward Al-Mawasi amid active conflict. Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot and screened at gunpoint. Two WHO staff and two family members were detained. Three were later released, while one staff remains in detention. 32 WHO staff and family members were evacuated to the WHO office once access became possible. WHO demands the immediate release of the detained staff and protection of all its staff. The latest evacuation order in Deir al Balah has affected several WHO premises, compromising our ability to operate in Gaza and pushing the health system further towards collapse. WHO’s main warehouse located in Deir al Balah is within the evacuation zone, and was damaged yesterday when an attack caused explosions and a fire inside. With the main warehouse nonfunctional and the majority of medical supplies in Gaza depleted, WHO is severely constrained in adequately supporting hospitals, emergency medical teams and health partners, already critically short on medicines, fuel, and equipment. WHO urgently calls on Member States to help ensure a sustained and regular flow of medical supplies into Gaza. As the lead agency for health, compromising WHO’s operations is crippling the entire health response in Gaza. A ceasefire is not just necessary, it is overdue.

A truly historic evening at the #WHA78: the #PandemicAccord resolution was approved in Committee A with 124 in favour, 0 against and 11 abstentions. The final step: adoption in plenary tomorrow morning. My thanks once again to @WHO Member States for choosing to keep the world safer. 🙏

$2.1 billion is the equivalent of global military expenditure every 8 hours; $2.1 billion is the price of one stealth bomber; $2.1 billion is 1/4 of what the tobacco industry spends on advertising and promotion every single year. It seems somebody switched the price tags on what is truly valuable in our world. #InvestInWHO #WHA78

European #Gaza Hospital is no longer functional after an attack on 13 May left it severely damaged and inaccessible. After being there yesterday. @WHO reached the hospital again today to relocate one international Emergency Medical Team—who continued working through the attacks—to Nasser Medical Complex. A strike hit nearby just before the mission. The hospital’s closure has cut off vital services including neurosurgery, cardiac care, and cancer treatment—all unavailable elsewhere in Gaza. The shutdown also ends the facility’s role as a key hub for medical evacuations, further straining the overwhelmed health system. Meanwhile, a strike near the Indonesian Hospital spread fear, disrupted access, and raised the risk of closure. WHO reiterates: hospitals must be protected. They must never be militarized or targeted. Ceasefire.

The new @WHO's World health statistics report shows that global life expectancy fell by 1.8 years —the largest drop in recent history — reversing a decade of health gains: bit.ly/437wz4w Behind every data point is a person—a child who didn’t reach their fifth birthday, a mother lost in childbirth, a life cut short by a preventable disease. These are avoidable tragedies. They point critical gaps in access, protection, and investment in health care — especially for women and girls. Every government has a responsibility to act, with urgency, commitment, and accountability to the people they serve.

The new State of the World’s Nursing report shows that the global nursing workforce has grown from 27.9 million in 2018 to 29.8 million in 2023 — we congratulate the countries that are making progress. However, we cannot ignore the inequalities that mark the global nursing landscape and the remaining gap of 5.8 million nurses around the world. On #InternationalNursesDay, @WHO urges all countries to accelerate investment in health workforce education, jobs and ensure decent working conditions.