Translated from WAFA report by Ali Al-Farra: Since the onset of the Israeli genocide on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, individuals with physical and mental disabilities have faced particularly dire humanitarian conditions, and many were tortured and executed by Israeli soldiers.
They have encountered extreme difficulties in relocating and have not been spared from the brutality, torture, killing, and cold-blooded execution by Israeli occupation forces, in blatant violation of international norms and conventions.
With the “ceasefire” taking effect on January 19, citizens returned to their villages and towns on the outskirts of Khan Younis in the southern part of the Gaza Strip to inspect their homes and search for missing family members.
In the town of Al-Qarara, north of Khan Younis, citizens discovered the body of young man Basem Abu Halib, who had a mental disability due to the torture he endured at the hands of the occupation forces during their 2014 war on the Gaza Strip.
Paramedic Mohammed Abu Lahiya told “Wafa” that the area of Al-Sarij, where Abu Halib’s body was found, is located east of Al-Qarara and was subjected to artillery shelling and gunfire by the occupation forces before the war, when bird hunters and shepherds approached the border fence.
He explained that after examining the Bassem’s body, it was found that he had been shot directly in the head, leading to his death.
Abu Halib’s brother, Hazem, said that his brother was a university graduate and a polite person, but during the 2014 war, he was abducted by a special Israeli military force near his home, severely beaten, and left by the soldiers who thought he was dead.
He explained that the paramedics managed to rescue Bassem and discovered that he was alive after surviving a near-death experience, but the assault left him with a mental disability.
Hazem added, “Bassem did not harm anyone but did not understand what was happening around him. He lost his ability to communicate with others, repeating some words that did not form meaningful sentences and suffering from hyperactivity.”
He pointed out that in December 2024, the Israeli military declared the western part of Al-Qarara a “humanitarian zone,” so they returned to their home and settled there, only to be surprised by evacuation orders from the army for their area. They lost his brother Basem and searched for him extensively, but all their attempts failed.
Abu Halib said that when his brother felt scared, he would start making sounds that might have been intended to reassure himself or attract the attention of others. According to eyewitnesses in the eastern Al-Qarara area, they heard his voice at the beginning of this year heading west.
He confirmed that citizens who managed to reach the area found his body with several gunshot wounds to different parts of his body, estimating that they were fired from a close range, indicating that he was executed in cold blood.
In a similar crime, citizen Hassan Jarir (64 years old), who had a mental disability and couldn’t speak or hear, was killed by Israeli soldiers.
His brother Yasser told “Wafa” that his older brother Hassan was found in the Abu Al-Ajeen area north of Al-Qarara, and his body was buried under the rubble of a house demolished by the Israeli military bulldozers while he was inside.
Jarir explained that his brother Hassan did not understand what was happening around him due to his disability, did not harm or attack anyone, and spent long periods at home. Even when he felt hungry, he could not express it, so he needed special care.
He said, “My family was living in a tent on the beach of Al-Qarara, and my brother was sleeping inside it. After a considerable period, my wife went to check on him, only to find that he was not there, and after a long search, they could not find him.”
Jarir confirmed that some of their relatives said they saw him heading towards the northern Al-Qarara area and tried to call him back, but he did not hear them, and they could not catch up with him, especially since he entered a dangerous area that the Israeli forces had warned against entering.
He pointed out that his brother disappeared less than a month before the “ceasefire” began and went to their house near the “perimeter fence,” where a bulldozer accompanied by a tank demolished the house with him inside.
Jarir confirmed that one of his neighbors was hiding in his house and was too scared to move, confirming that an Israeli military bulldozer demolished the house with his brother inside.
He said, “The rescue teams managed to reach the place after several attempts and found his brother’s body under the rubble of the house.”
As for citizen “Abdul-Jabbar,” known to most of the people of Khan Younis for his distinctive appearance and well-known voice, “I want a shekel,” he was content and refused any currency larger than a shekel.
His neighbor, citizen Karim Sadiq, said, “When the evacuation order for Khan Younis was issued, everyone left, and we did not know anything about him. He refused to stay in a house, and despite his family’s constant attempts to convince him to live with them, he would always escape and return to his place.”
He added, “We left Khan Younis, and news about Abdul-Jabbar was cut off. We heard that he was killed, but we could not confirm the news.”
He pointed out that in April, after the Israeli military announced the end of its ground aggression in Khan Younis, people returned to their homes and found remains and bodies in the streets and houses.
Sadiq confirmed that some citizens found Abdul-Jabbar’s body hanging on one of the poles, indicating that he had been tortured and hanged by the Israeli forces.
Citizen “Hinda” (50 years old), as known to the residents of Al-Qarara, used to roam the streets and knock on doors asking for food only, refusing to take money. She was deaf and mute, and no one knew her family or how she ended up in that situation.
Citizen Hassan Abu Jmeiza said that after the ceasefire was announced, he returned to his home in Al-Qarara to find Hinda’s body lying among the trees uprooted by the occupation bulldozers.
Abu Jmeiza confirmed that Hinda, a name given to her by the residents of the area, appeared to have been shot and might have been buried alive.
The Israeli genocide on Gaza witnessed crimes that shame humanity and are rejected by all divine laws and international laws.
The Israeli soldiers massacred children, women, and the elderly, bombed homes without warning, and left bodies in the streets to be devoured by dogs, cats, and birds of prey.
In October, international independent UN experts warned that Palestinians with disabilities face unbearable protection risks, including inevitable death and injuries, amid indiscriminate attacks by Israeli occupation forces that destroyed vital infrastructure and eliminated the possibility of humanitarian assistance.
The experts said in a statement, “A tragedy within a tragedy is unfolding in Gaza, where the Israeli genocide campaign has left people with disabilities completely unprotected. People with disabilities are being killed and injured in indiscriminate attacks despite posing no security threat, exemplifying Israel’s deliberate attack on civilians.”
The experts noted that multiple evacuation orders completely ignored people with disabilities, who often face extreme difficulties in following or understanding instructions.
They added, “They were in an impossible situation, either leaving their homes and the assistive devices they need to survive or staying without their families and caregivers, facing an increased risk of being killed. During evacuation attempts, women and girls with disabilities are particularly at risk and face additional psychological trauma.”
The human rights experts warned that physical, informational, and communication barriers make it almost impossible for people with disabilities to access the extremely rare humanitarian aid available, with women and girls with disabilities facing compounded challenges that increase their isolation.
They stressed that with the collapse of the health system in Gaza and the lack of medical supplies, the Israeli occupation authorities refused to establish a medical evacuation system and did not allow life-saving support, preventing thousands of people with disabilities, especially children, from receiving the assistance they desperately need.
They warned that Palestinians with disabilities, including children, women, girls, and the elderly, face severe psychological harm and trauma, with people with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities also in extremely vulnerable situations.
Before the outbreak of the Israeli genocide on Gaza, the number of people with disabilities in the Gaza Strip was about 68,000, representing 2.6% of the total population.
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics stated that the number of severe injuries that changed the course of life in the Gaza Strip, requiring continuous rehabilitation, was estimated at about 25% of the total number of injuries, or at least 26,140 people, as of November 24, 2024.
On Sunday, medical sources reported that the death toll in Gaza has reached 47,306, including more than 17.841 children, and 12.298 women, and injured at least 111,166, largely children, women and elderly, since October 7, 2023. The number of injured Palestinians injuries has risen to more than 111,483, mostly children, women and elderly.
In the past 72 hours, 23 bodies were brought to Gaza’s hospitals, including 14 civilians whose bodies were recovered, five others who succumbed to their injuries, and four new victims of the ongoing Israeli assault. Additionally, 11 civilians were hospitalized with injuries sustained during the continued aggression.
