A new analysis by the World Health Organization ( WHO ) published this Thursday reveals that at least a quarter of the Palestinians injured in the Gaza war – some 22.500 – suffer life-changing injuries and require rehabilitation services now and in the years to come.
The paper estimates the rehabilitation needs of trauma patients in Gaza using data from emergency medical teams on the ground.
Severe limb injuries, estimated at between 13.455 and 17.550, are the main factor in the need for rehabilitation , including between 3105 and 4050 amputations.
Significant increases in traumatic spinal cord and head injuries and severe burns contribute to the total number of people with injuries whose lives will be permanently affected, including thousands of women and children.
The WHO representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territories noted that the dramatic increase in recovery needs is occurring alongside the "continued destruction of the health system" and stressed that patients' lives are at risk as acute rehabilitation services have been severely disrupted and specialized care for complex injuries is unavailable.
"Immediate and long-term support is urgently needed to meet the enormous rehabilitation needs," added Richard Peeperkorn.
Suspended services and displaced personnel
Currently, only 17 of Gaza's 36 hospitals remain partially operational, while primary health care and community services are repeatedly suspended or become inaccessible due to insecurity, attacks, and repeated evacuation orders.
Gaza's only peripheral reconstruction and rehabilitation centre, located in the Nasser medical complex, was rendered inoperative in December 2023 due to a lack of supplies as specialist health workers had to leave in search of safety. It was subsequently damaged following the assault on the hospital in February 2024.
The WHO indicated that a large portion of the rehabilitation staff in Gaza are now displaced. As of May 10, 39 physiotherapists had been reported dead.
Inpatient rehabilitation services and prosthetics are no longer available, and the number of injured people in need of assistive products far exceeds the equipment available in Gaza.
Ceasefire to recover the health system
The analysis focuses solely on new injuries inflicted on the population of Gaza since the escalation of hostilities in October 2023, but the Organization noted that tens of thousands of Palestinians were already living with chronic illnesses and pre-existing disabilities , which put their lives in serious danger due to a lack of adequate services.
The health agency stressed the urgency of ensuring access to all essential health services, including rehabilitation services, to prevent illness and death amid the ongoing hostilities. It reiterated its call for a ceasefire, “which is essential to rebuild the health system and address growing needs.”
Guterres condemns attack on UNRWA school
The Secretary-General has said that the Israeli attack on a UNRWA school that killed 18 people, including six UN agency workers, is “totally unacceptable” and has called for an immediate end to these dramatic violations of international law.
The deaths of the six aid workers highlight "the systematic violation of international humanitarian law by the Israeli army," according to the Office for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which condemned in a statement Israel's attacks "against shelters housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza, with no regard for the lives of civilians."
The office said the school is home to 12.000 internally displaced persons.
Since the start of the war, at least 220 UNRWA staff members have been killed in Gaza . The total number of Palestinian casualties now exceeds 41.100.