One year of relentless bombing and shelling in Gaza will leave a generation of people injured, maimed and with permanent disabilities. 25% of all those injured in Gaza between 10 January and 16 May 2024, or 22,500 people out of 90,000, are in urgent need of rehabilitation services (World Health Organization report).

According to the WHO report, between January and May 2024 approximately 15,000 people sustained major extremity injuries, with an additional 3,000 to 4,000 expected amputations, more than 2,000 people suffered from major head and spine injuries and over 2000 people received severe burn injuries.

Rehabilitation and health services severely disrupted

Many have acute rehabilitation needs but rehabilitation services in Gaza have been severely disrupted by the ongoing conflict, leaving the healthcare system unable to meet the surge in demand: 70% of in-patient hospitals are now non-functional due to fuel shortages.

The destruction and disruption of primary healthcare and community-level services, frequently paused or inaccessible due to the conflict, have further compounded the crisis. Much of the rehabilitation workforce has been displaced, and reports indicate that, as of 10 May 2024, 39 physical therapists had been killed.