At least quarter of Gaza wounded have ‘life-changing injuries’: WHO

GENEVA: The World Health Organisation said on Thursday that at least a quarter of those hurt in the war raging in Gaza have suffered “life-changing injuries”, many requiring amputations and other “huge” rehabilitation needs.

At least 22,500 of the people injured in Gaza in the 11 months since the war erupted will “requires rehabilitation services now and for years to come”, the WHO said in a statement. “The huge surge in rehabilitation needs occurs in parallel with the ongoing decimation of the health system,” Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO´s representative for the Palestinian territories, said in a statement.

According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, at least 41,118 people have been killed in Israel´s retaliatory offensive following the October 7 attack by Hamas militants, while over 95,000 have been wounded.

The Hamas attack inside Israel that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, which also includes hostages killed in captivity.

Pointing to a fresh analysis of the types of injuries resulting from the conflict, the UN health agency said “many thousands of women and children” figured among those badly injured and that many had suffered more than one injury. It estimated there had overall been between 13,455 and 17,550 “severe limb injuries”, which it said were the main driver of the need for rehabilitation.

The report showed that between 3,105 and 4,050 limb amputations had occurred.

Other life-altering injuries including spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and major burn injuries, it said.

At the same time, WHO said only 17 of Gaza´s 36 hospitals are currently even partially functional, while primary health care services are frequently suspended or inaccessible due to insecurity, attacks and repeated evacuation orders.

Gaza´s only limb reconstruction and rehabilitation centre, located in Nasser Medical Complex and supported by WHO ceased functioning last December due to lack of supplies and specialised health workers.

“Tragically, much of the rehabilitation workforce in Gaza is now displaced,” the statement said. Peeperkorn said that “patients can´t get the care they need”.

“Acute rehabilitation services are severely disrupted and specialised care for complex injuries is not available, placing patients´ lives at risk,” he said.

“Immediate and long-term support is urgently needed to address the enormous rehabilitation needs.”Meanwhile, the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said six staffers were killed after two airstrikes hit a school in central Gaza on Wednesday, marking what it said was the highest death toll among its staff in a single incident.”Among those killed was the manager of the UNRWA shelter and other team members providing assistance to displaced people,” UNRWA said on X.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli army said in a statement that it conducted a strike on a command and control center in Nuseirat in central Gaza, which it said was operated by Palestinian militant faction Hamas.

“This school has been hit five times since the war began. It is home to around 12,000 displaced people, mainly women and children,” UNRWA added.