World News
Gaza amputees face severe shortages of prosthetics and rehabilitation care
Thousands of injured Palestinians, including many children, encounter major obstacles to treatment amid supply restrictions and destroyed infrastructure.
The short version
- Around 6,000 people have undergone amputations in Gaza since the war began, roughly a quarter of whom are children, according to local officials and the United Nations.
- Injured residents are struggling to obtain proper prosthetic limbs and physical therapy due to import restrictions on medical materials, decimated infrastructure, and a lack of specialists.
- Medical practitioners warn that improvised mobility aids made from salvaged materials risk causing further physical harm, while delays in rehabilitation lead to permanent complications.
Key facts
- The Gaza Ministry of Health reports that approximately 6,000 amputations have been carried out since the war started.[Al Jazeera]
- According to the United Nations, about 25 percent of amputation cases in Gaza involve children.[Al Jazeera]
- Israeli border restrictions on dual-use items—such as silicone, thermoplastics, medical plasters, and mechanical joints—limit the local production and fitting of prosthetics.[Al Jazeera]
- Surgeons in Gaza reported that severe shortages of surgical supplies, antiseptics, and anaesthetics often forced them to perform emergency amputations to prevent gangrene and save lives.[Al Jazeera]
- Healthcare workers improvising artificial limbs from salvaged pipes, wood, and aluminum warn that ill-fitting devices can cause friction, swelling, and severe inflammatory ulcers.[Al Jazeera]
What remains uncertain
- It remains unclear when or whether Israeli authorities will approve medical exit permits for injured patients seeking specialized prosthetic treatment abroad.[Al Jazeera]