The United Nations health agency, the World Health Organization (WHO), stated on the 2nd that nearly 42,000 people have suffered "life-changing injuries" in the war unleashed by Israel in Gaza, with about 25% of them being children. The injuries include amputations, head, and spinal cord damage.
According to AFP, the latest analysis by the WHO also found that about 25% of those injured in the two-year conflict sustained wounds severe enough to affect them for the rest of their lives.
WHO representative in the Palestinian territories, Richard Peeperkorn, said: “They will require lifelong rehabilitation.”
According to data from the health authorities in Gaza under Hamas—which the United Nations considers credible—since Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians and left nearly 170,000 wounded.
Based on data from 22 emergency medical teams supported by the WHO, Gaza health authorities, and other health partners, a report released on the 2nd estimates that 41,844 people have suffered life-altering injuries.
Report warns: Figures may be "underestimated"
The report pointed out that over 5,000 people have undergone amputation operations, warning that this figure may be "underestimated," as it does not include so-called traumatic amputations that occurred outside of medical facilities or at the moment of injury.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "The most common injuries requiring rehabilitation are blast wounds to the legs and arms."
He added that other life-altering wounds include spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and severe burns, noting that “serious injuries to the face and eyes are also common, resulting in major damage and disfigurement.”
The WHO emphasized the urgent need for rehabilitation services, but Tedros warned, “At the moment when these services are most needed, attacks, insecurity, and displacement have made them almost unreachable.” He said: “Explosions that caused these injuries have also destroyed the medical facilities and services necessary to treat them.”