Gaza Health System Overwhelmed as 42,000 Suffer Debilitating Injuries
Geneva/Gaza – the World Health Institution (WHO) reported thursday that nearly 42,000 people in the Gaza Strip have sustained debilitating injuries since October 2023, requiring years of specialized care and rehabilitation. A staggering one in four of those injured are children.
According to a new WHO report,approximately 25% of the 167,376 individuals injured since the start of the conflict have suffered permanent trauma. This includes over 5,000 amputations, more than 22,000 limb injuries, over 2,000 spinal cord lesions, approximately 1,300 head traumas, and more than 3,300 severe burns.
“These injuries lead to a massive need for specialized surgery and rehabilitation, but they so deeply upset the lives of patients and their families,” the WHO stated. Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the Palestinian territories, emphasized during a press conference that “life rehabilitation will be necessary.”
The already fragile Gaza health system is struggling to cope with the scale of the crisis. Only 14 of the Strip’s 36 hospitals remain partially functional, and less than a third of pre-war rehabilitation services are still operating. “No service is fully operational despite the efforts of emergency medical teams and partners,” the report notes.
The specialized healthcare workforce has also been decimated. Prior to the war, Gaza had around 1,300 physiotherapists and 400 occupational therapists. Many have been displaced, and at least 42 have been killed. Currently, only eight prosthetists remain to address the meaningful number of amputations.
The WHO is urgently calling for support to maintain essential care, including protecting health facilities, ensuring unimpeded access to fuel and medical supplies, and lifting restrictions on the import of vital equipment.
“Above all, the WHO calls for an immediate ceasefire.The people of Gaza deserve peace, the right to health and a chance to heal,” the organization stated.
