GAZA, (PIC)
Before the outbreak of the Israeli genocide war on Gaza, people with disabilities accounted for about 2.6% of the total population of the Strip, which exceeds two million. This percentage has increased with the documentation of 10,000 new disability cases since October 7, 2023, amid expectations that the number will rise.
UN data indicates that at least a quarter of the injured in Gaza, or 22,500 injured as of July 23, suffer from life-altering injuries that now require rehabilitation services for years to come. Ahmad Abu Shaaban is one of the thousands whose lives have changed forever. The ambitious young man, studying architecture at Palestine University, faced unexpected challenges in July 2024 that surpassed even the worst scenarios of death and survival during a year of war.
Ahmad and his family were forced to flee their home, heading south in response to mandatory evacuation orders, eventually finding refuge in Khan Yunis, like thousands of other families escaping the bombing of homes and residential areas. Life in the camp was difficult, crowded, and harsh, but Ahmad tried to maintain hope in his family’s hearts.
One day, while returning from a long trip to fetch water, the area was suddenly struck by a barrage of rockets, which changed his life forever. After days of unconsciousness, he woke up to discover that both of his legs had been amputated, and his right hand was gone. The shock of the injury was indescribable; Ahmad refused to acknowledge his new body and was consumed by questions about his future and how he would continue his life as before. In his new daily routine, he became completely reliant on his wheelchair and the assistance of family members for many tasks.
Mobility within the crowded camp is complicated for the injured young man, as the environment is not adapted for someone in his situation, hindering his independence. He is diligently trying to learn how to hold a spoon with his left hand, while his younger brother, who has become his right arm, helps him with his daily needs.
An analysis by the World Health Organization on the types of injuries resulting from the war found that severe limb injuries, estimated between 13,455 and 17,550 cases, are the main factor leading to the need for rehabilitation, noting that many of the injured suffer from more than one injury. According to a report released on September 12, 2024, the number of amputations reached between 3,105 and 4,050. The significant increases in spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and severe burn injuries contribute greatly to the total number of life-altering injuries, including several thousand women and children.
Deadly weapons
Dr. Nahed Abu Taima, director of the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis, said that the significant rise in limb amputations is due to the use of new types of weapons by the occupation forces that lead to these serious injuries. He pointed out that the daily influx of large numbers of injured into hospitals has multiplied the likelihood of permanent disabilities among the wounded, emphasizing the impact of delayed transfer of some injured individuals to hospitals, exacerbating their health conditions and complicating medical staff’s ability to treat them.
Dr. Abu Taima explained that primary healthcare services and community-level services are often suspended or inaccessible due to insecurity, attacks, and repeated mandatory evacuation orders. He noted that the only center in Gaza for limb reconstruction and rehabilitation, located in the Nasser Medical Complex and supported by the organization, has been out of service since December 2023 due to a lack of supplies, and specialized healthcare workers were forced to leave for their safety. The center was then destroyed in an airstrike in February 2024. Reports indicate that 39 physiotherapy specialists have been killed as of May 10.
Dr. Abu Taima added that rehabilitation services and the provision of prosthetic limbs for the injured are no longer available, as the number of injured needing assistive devices far exceeds the available equipment in all centers in the Gaza Strip.
Disruption of rehabilitation services
Dr. Richard Pibberkorn, representative of the World Health Organization in the occupied Palestinian territories, noted a massive increase in rehabilitation needs occurring alongside the ongoing destruction of the healthcare system, with only 17 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza functioning partially due to the deterioration of medical devices and equipment, a lack of medications and medical supplies, and fuel shortages.
He stated, “Patients cannot access the care they need. Rehabilitation services for acute cases are severely disrupted, and specialized care for those with complex injuries is unavailable, putting patients’ lives at risk. There is an urgent need for immediate and long-term support to meet the enormous rehabilitation needs,” expressing regret that a significant portion of the rehabilitation workforce in Gaza is now displaced.
Difficulties of forced displacement
People with disabilities, regardless of their type—mobility, hearing, visual, or cognitive—face immense challenges during repeated forced displacements. Their limited mobility and reliance on others for assistance make it difficult, especially when everyone is trying to save themselves. Numerous cases have been recorded of missing children with intellectual disabilities or autism.
Thousands of these individuals struggle to find suitable shelter, access water, food, medication, and essential assistive devices such as wheelchairs, walkers, hearing aids, and air mattresses for those with mobility impairments. The power outages have also created significant difficulties in evacuating people with disabilities from high-rise buildings.
The disability rehabilitation sector within the Palestinian NGO Network warns of the serious repercussions of the escalating and ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza on the lives of people with disabilities, amid an unprecedented humanitarian disaster on all levels.
According to data published on June 29, hundreds of individuals with disabilities in Gaza have been killed, and thousands injured, in addition to the displacement of tens of thousands of people with disabilities who are enduring difficult displacement conditions, along with the severe psychological trauma they face.
Amjad Al-Shawa, the director of the network, confirms that the destruction by the occupation forces of infrastructure, main roads, accommodations, and the headquarters of organizations working in rehabilitation has limited the ability of people with disabilities to move and access services. Al-Shawa explains that this situation has restricted evacuation opportunities, putting the lives of people with disabilities at extreme risk, in addition to losing their assistive devices due to repeated displacements or being forced to leave them behind, relying on the help of their relatives.
Significant statistics
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reports that the number of individuals with disabilities in Gaza has reached approximately 58,000 due to the outbreak of war, representing 2.6% of the total population. The disability rate among adults aged 18 and older stands at 3.9%.
The highest prevalence of disability is recorded in the North Gaza Governorate at around 5%, followed by the Deir al-Balah Governorate at 4.1%. According to estimates, the number of disabled children in the Gaza Strip in 2023 is about 98,000 in the age group of 2 to 17 years, including around 6,000 children aged 2 to 4 years and nearly 92,000 children aged 5 to 17 years.
In contrast, learning disabilities are the most common type of disability among children aged 2 to 17 in Gaza, estimated at about 21,200 in 2023. This number is expected to rise due to the psychological trauma children experience during the war from fear of airstrikes, invasions, repeated displacements, or the loss of one or both parents.
The Palestinian Statistics Office anticipates that the number of individuals with disabilities will increase by approximately 12,000 due to the war, resulting from reduced healthcare capabilities, the closure of crossing points, restrictions on essential medical supplies entering the territory, and direct attacks on hospitals, care centers, and medical staff.
Violation of international law
The current situation of individuals with disabilities and the use of lethal weapons that have increased their numbers represents a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and the international human rights law regarding the rights of persons with disabilities in armed conflicts.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by Israel in 2012, states that member states, in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law, need to take “all necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including armed conflict.”
Under international humanitarian law, conflicting parties must take all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians. The “Declaration on the Protection of Civilians from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas,” signed by 83 countries, commits parties to refrain from using explosive weapons with wide-area effects, including heavy artillery and aerial bombs, in densely populated areas due to the likelihood of killing or injuring civilians indiscriminately.
