Gaza Health Ministry says 6,000 amputees need urgent rehabilitation
The Gaza Health Ministry reports that 6,000 people who lost limbs during the war require urgent, long-term rehabilitation, warning of severe humanitarian consequences. A quarter of the amputees are children, facing permanent disability. The ministry called for international organizations to prioritize specialized care.
The Health Ministry in Gaza has issued an urgent appeal concerning 6,000 amputees who require immediate and sustained long-term rehabilitation as a result of injuries sustained during the recent war. In a statement marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Wednesday, the ministry described the situation as "shocking," highlighting that thousands of wounded civilians and their families are enduring profound suffering. This underscores a critical need for comprehensive physical, psychological, and social support services.
Disturbing Proportion of Child Amputees
A particularly alarming detail from the ministry's assessment is that 25% of all amputation cases involve children, who now confront life with permanent disabilities from an early age. This statistic corroborates earlier observations from international agencies; in September, the head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, stated that Gaza had become home to the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world since the conflict's onset.
Call for International Intervention
The Gaza Health Ministry explicitly called on relevant international humanitarian organizations to prioritize amputees and strengthen access to specialized medical care and rehabilitation programs. The sheer scale of the need overwhelms Gaza's decimated healthcare infrastructure, which was systematically degraded during months of intense bombardment and ground operations.
Background of the Conflict's Toll
The war, which began in October 2023, resulted in massive casualties before a ceasefire took effect on October 10. According to Palestinian health authorities, the Israeli military offensive killed more than 70,000 people, predominantly women and children, and injured over 171,000 others, while reducing much of the coastal enclave to ruins. For nations like Türkiye, which has been at the forefront of humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza, the long-term rehabilitation of the wounded represents a continuing and immense challenge for the international community.
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