On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reveals a painful reality that reflects the scale of the humanitarian disaster left behind by the war, with nearly six thousand cases of amputation recorded over the past two years of aggression, most of them direct injuries caused by continuous bombing. In Gaza, amputees are left to fend for themselves due to the lack of rehab centres and healthcare in general.

The ministry emphasises that all amputees require complex rehabilitation programmes lasting several years, at a time when Gaza’s dilapidated health system is unable to meet the growing needs, amid the destruction of most specialised centres and equipment.

In Gaza, amputees are everywhere

Official figures show that a quarter of amputation cases are children; that is, one in four amputees lost a limb before reaching full adulthood. These young people, who were supposed to live their childhoods in schools and playgrounds, found themselves facing permanent disabilities and physical and psychological challenges beyond their age and capabilities.

Their suffering does not stop at physical injury, as thousands of wounded people are living under severe psychological and social pressure. Fitting prosthetic limbs requires equipment that is not available, physical therapy requires centres that have either been destroyed or are completely out of service, and psychological support is, according to institutions, virtually non-existent despite the urgent need for it, especially for children who are dealing with the trauma of amputation and the loss of loved ones and homes.

At the same time, health institutions are documenting thousands of ‘life-changing’ injuries that require long-term care, putting additional pressure on a medical system that is barely able to provide basic services.

Physical therapy centres are desperately needed

Health and humanitarian agencies emphasise that the rehabilitation sector in Gaza is in need of a comprehensive rescue plan that includes rebuilding physical therapy centres, providing prosthetic limbs and spare parts, training local staff in the latest rehabilitation techniques, and offering specialised programmes for children that take into account their motor, psychological and educational development.

According to humanitarian organisations, this is one of the most pressing issues in Gaza today, as it is directly linked to the ability of thousands of wounded people to return to normal life, study, work and reintegrate into a society exhausted by war.

While amputees face an uncertain future, the provision of rehabilitation and psychosocial support services remains a top priority, no less important than food and medicine, and indeed a fundamental pillar in rebuilding the people of Gaza after one of the most severe ordeals in its history.

Featured image via UN News

By Alaa Shamali

This post was originally published on Canary.