The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) reported Wednesday that nearly 42,000 people in the Gaza Strip are living with severe, life‑altering injuries, a figure that has almost doubled in just one year.
The findings, released to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, are based on World Health Organization (WHO) estimates.
According to the report, 22,500 cases were recorded by July 2024, with the most common injuries including complex limb damage, amputations, burns, spinal cord and brain injuries, and severe trauma leading to permanent loss of mobility or sensation.
The bureau documented more than 5,000 amputations, 75 percent of them in the lower limbs, alongside thousands of serious spinal, brain, and burn injuries.
Children account for a significant share of these cases: over 10,000 children are living with severe disabilities, and they represented 51 percent of all medical evacuations outside Gaza between May 2024 and June 2025.
The report stressed that these figures reflect a sharp collapse in rehabilitation services, which have declined by 62 percent due to the destruction of facilities, shortages of equipment, and the killing of more than 1,700 health workers, including 42 specialists in physical and occupational therapy. The shortage of essential devices such as wheelchairs, walkers, and prosthetics has compounded the crisis.
Children Bear the Brunt
WHO estimates as of September 24, 2025, confirm that children are among the hardest hit, with more than 10,000 suffering severe, disabling injuries. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports that 70 percent of burn patients undergoing surgery are children, most under the age of five, underscoring the scale of injuries in the absence of medical supplies and rehabilitation equipment.
Medical Evacuations Reveal Depth of Crisis
Data from Gaza’s Ministry of Health shows that between May 2024 and June 30, 2025, 749 patients with severe injuries were evacuated for treatment outside the Strip, half of them children. Major limb injuries accounted for the largest share of cases, with amputations reaching 22 percent, alongside complex neurological and brain injuries for which rehabilitation services inside Gaza are currently unavailable.
Rehabilitation Services in Collapse
The bureau emphasized that rehabilitation—recognized by WHO as an essential component of healthcare—has suffered near‑total collapse in Gaza. By November 27, 2025, rehabilitation services had declined by 62 percent, driven by widespread destruction, lack of medical equipment, and the killing of specialized staff.
The statement noted that current estimates cover only injuries from direct trauma and do not include the growing needs arising from deteriorating health conditions caused by the war, such as malnutrition, chronic diseases, displacement, and the absence of basic assistive devices. As a result, the true burden of rehabilitation needs is far greater than the reported figures.
On Tuesday, Israeli occupation forces killed five Palestinians, including a journalist, and injured dozens on Tuesday in a series of artillery, drone, and air strikes targeting Gaza City, Khan Younis, al‑Bureij, Jabalia, and Rafah, in the besieged, starved and devastated Gaza Strip.
Since the October 11, 2025, when “ceasefire” took effect, Israeli attacks have continued. Al Jazeera reports that 356 Palestinians have been killed and 909 injured during this period alone, underscoring that violations of the ceasefire are ongoing and deadly.
Israel has now killed more than 70,000 Palestinians and injured over 170,000, the majority of them children, women, and elderly people, since October 7, 2023. Thousands of the wounded have suffered life‑altering conditions such as amputations, permanent disabilities, and severe trauma.
At least 463 Palestinians, including 157 children, have died from hunger, as Israel’s blockade has cut off food, water, and humanitarian aid.
