The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that about 43,000 people out of the 172,000 injured in Gaza since October 2023 have suffered life-changing injuries, including about 10,000 children, Anadolu reports.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Reinhilde Van de Weerdt, WHO representative for the occupied Palestinian territory, said estimates updated reflect the long-term devastating impact of the conflict on Gaza’s population and health care system.

Since the last WHO report in September 2025, nearly 5,000 more life-changing injuries have been recorded, almost half of them after the ceasefire was declared in October 2025, she said.

According to WHO data, major limb injuries make up the majority of severe cases, with more than 22,000 recorded, followed by more than 5,000 traumatic amputations, more than 3,400 major burns, more than 2,000 spinal cord injuries and more than 1,300 traumatic brain injuries.

More than 50,000 injuries now require long-term rehabilitation, Van de said. Weerdt.

She noted that nearly 14,000 patients registered for limb reconstruction services between July 2025 and May 2026, with almost half of those estimated to require additional surgery.

Meanwhile, due to severe shortages in Gaza, only 500 of the estimated 2,300 amputees between September 2024 and May 2026 have received permanent prostheses.

Despite growing needs, rehabilitation services remain critically limited, with no fully functional rehabilitation facilities in Gaza, according to the WHO.

Van de Weerdt said more than 400 patients are currently waiting for specialized rehabilitation beds, forcing hospitals to release patients early and increasing the risk of disability. permanent.

She also warned that no rehabilitation equipment has entered Gaza in the past two years, while 18 shipments containing wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation equipment remain pending approval.

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Source: prizrenpost