The humanitarian crisis and ongoing conflict in Gaza has left thousands of people with life-changing disabilities.
The ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel, along with the breakdown of Gaza’s health system, has created what some describe as insurmountable challenges for those injured during the conflict.
About 25% of people injured in the conflict — an estimated 22,500 people — now require long-term rehabilitation, according to the World Health Organization. More than 106,000 people have been injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry.
But in Gaza, where medical resources are already stretched to breaking point, even rehabilitation services remain inaccessible.
Many disabled people face not only physical pain but also deep psychological scars and social rejection in Gaza, international and local medical experts said. With little access to medical care, emotional support, and assistive devices, they are often left to navigate a life with a disability that forever changes their future.
PHOTO: Palestinians mourn near the bodies of their relatives killed in an Israeli airstrike, west of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Dec. 12, 2024. (Haitham Imad / EPA via Shutterstock)
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“In any situation, recovering from a serious injury and moving on to physical rehabilitation takes a lot of mental energy. Doing this in a conflicting environment – where access to mobility aids, proper walking, or anything at all, physiotherapy programs, proper nutrition, and rest is difficult — affects a person everyone is experiencing it,” International Committee of the Red Cross spokesman Hisham Mhanna told ABC News in an interview.
In more than a year since Israel launched a war of retaliation against Hamas, a group of terrorists attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, most of Gaza was destroyed by air, according to. United Nations. Nearly 100 captives remain missing in Gaza and two-thirds are believed to be alive.
About 60% of all buildings in Gaza have been destroyed, the UN agency said in September. The Strip’s hospital has “collapsed,” a spokesperson for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, told ABC News in October. Nineteen of the 36 hospitals and nine hospitals that used to operate in Gaza were still partially operational, the WHO said at the time.
Ahmed Al Haw, a 17-year-old deportee who lives in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza, said he is among those whose lives have been irrevocably changed. Al Haw was injured in front of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis while visiting a sick relative. His family’s trip turned into a nightmare when a bomb exploded near their car.
“My grandfather’s leg was amputated, and since the damage was so great, he died. My mother and my sister were also injured. I lost my eye and part of my foot,” Al Haw said.
For Al Haw, the aftermath of the explosion has been as unbearable as the damage. He was introduced to a reality where even the simplest tasks are struggling. The physical pain never stops, but it pales in comparison to the mental pain he endures, he said.
“At the beginning of the injury, I was in a state of depression. I did not eat at all. One time, I even thought of killing myself,” he said.
Gaza’s health care system does not have the resources to adequately address the needs of people with disabilities, the World Health Organization said in a recent press release announcing the publication of an assessment of health care in Gaza. There is a shortage of medical equipment, including prosthetics, wheelchairs and essential drugs to treat people with injuries that have left them disabled, the press release said. Hospitals are overcrowded, understaffed, and underfunded.
“Finding the right prosthetics and mobility aids is difficult in Gaza, where there is a shortage of everything, including essential medical supplies and equipment. The goal of the medical staff is to save lives, as it should be in any crisis, but this leaves gaps in the problems. post-recovery care in many places. ” Mhanna said.
Medical aid accounted for about 2.5% by weight of all aid delivered to Gaza since the start of the conflict 14 months ago, according to the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, Israel’s ministry that oversees the flow of food, medical aid and. other uses in Gaza. About 28,918 tons of medical aid crossed the Strip, according to COGAT data.
“Israel is working hard and continues to work to facilitate the expansion of the medical response in Gaza,” COGAT says on its website. “This is done in collaboration with health aid organizations, and donor countries.”
The worst damage to medical personnel who experience “loss of limbs” from bombs and shrapnel, said Dr. Sami Owaimer, director of the Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Unit at the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
PHOTO: A general view of Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on December 5, 2024. (Habboub Ramez/ABACA/Shutterstock)
“The most common injuries that we see are the loss of limbs due to explosions and shrapnel, as well as eye injuries that lead to blindness and spinal cord injuries that result in paralysis. These injuries often cause permanent disability and significantly change life,” said Owaimer.
Rehabilitation, an important step in recovery, is almost non-existent in Gaza. The district lacks specialized facilities, modern equipment and trained professionals to provide comprehensive health care. As a result, many disabled people are left without the tools or support needed to adapt to their new situation.
“There is a severe lack of facilities for rehabilitation and modern equipment, such as prosthetics and mobility training equipment,” Owaimer said. “Comprehensive programs that integrate physical, mental and social health are much needed.”
For Al Haw, the psychological impact of his injury is compounded by the opposition he faces from the community, he said.
“Society does not accept me,” he said. “When I walk slowly with crutches, people start shouting at me, ‘Hurry up! One time, I fell down every day and have nightmares every night and I am mentally ill.
Lack of psychological support increases the suffering of those like Al Haw. Many patients, especially young people, find themselves facing depression and anxiety without professional guidance or emotional support.
“Adapting to life with a disability is a big challenge,” Owaimer said. “Although some programs offer psychological and social development, the lack of resources reduces their reach and success.”
The social challenges faced by disabled people in Gaza, limited infrastructure, lack of access and deep-rooted discrimination leave many feeling isolated and marginalized. Al Haw described the separation as extremely painful. As the eldest of seven brothers, he said he feels a deep responsibility to support his family, especially with his father imprisoned in an Israeli prison.
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“I’m losing my feet and sight, the most important things I had. My dreams are gone. I can’t support my mother and sister. My future is completely unknown,” he said.
Despite the obstacles he faces, Al Haw keeps going, driven by his love for his family.
“Because of my family, I am struggling to continue living, I want to have a good future, to provide for my family when my father is not here,” he said.
“These people are not just numbers – they are human beings who deserve respect, education, and restoration,” said Owaimer.
“In the chaos of conflict, many people with disabilities are forgotten,” said Mhanna of the Red Cross. “But they are civilians and receive special protection under international humanitarian law. People with disabilities, and their unique challenges and needs, must be taken into account by warring parties.”
War-wounded Gazans live with disabilities but little medical aid began to emerge on abcnews.go.com