The World Health Organization has published detailed information on the nature and types of injuries resulting from the Israeli aggression that has been ongoing for about a year on the Gaza Strip.
According to the organization’s analysis of the types of injuries resulting from the war on the Strip, at least a quarter of the wounded in Gaza, or 22,500 wounded as of July 23, suffer from life-changing injuries that require rehabilitation services now and for years to come.
The analysis found that severe limb injuries, estimated at between 13,455 and 17,550, were the leading factor leading to the need for rehabilitation.
According to the report, the number of amputations ranged between 3,105 and 4,050, while many of the injured suffered from more than one injury.
She said significant increases in spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries and severe burn injuries contribute to the total number of life-changing injuries, including several thousand women and children.
According to the organization, only 17 of 36 hospitals remain partially functioning in Gaza, while primary health care and community-level services are often suspended or inaccessible due to insecurity, attacks and repeated evacuation orders.
She stressed that the only limb reconstruction and rehabilitation center in Gaza, located in the Nasser Medical Complex and supported by the World Health Organization, has been out of service since December 2023 due to a lack of supplies and staff, and was further damaged by an (Israeli) airstrike in February 2024.
In addition, the loss of trained physiotherapists due to the Israeli war on Gaza, where 39 physiotherapists were reportedly killed as of May 10, has hampered rehabilitation efforts, according to the same source.
Collapsed health sector
Commenting on the analysis results, the WHO Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, Richard Peeperkorn, said that the massive increase in rehabilitation needs is occurring at a time when the health system is continuing to be destroyed, with patients unable to access the care they need.
He added that acute rehabilitation services are severely disrupted, and that specialized care is not available for those with complex injuries, which puts patients’ lives at risk, stressing that there is an urgent need for immediate and long-term support to meet the enormous needs in the field of rehabilitation.
The organization noted that the new analysis focuses exclusively on new infections that occurred since October 7, however, tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza were already living with pre-existing chronic conditions and illnesses, which exposes them to great risks due to the lack of appropriate services.