Head Of UNRWA Lazzarini Says Gaza Strip Experiences A Pandemic Of Disabilities

Evacuation of patients from the Gaza Strip. (Twitter/@DrTedros)

JAKARTA - Commissioner General of the United Nations Aid and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini said the Gaza Strip, Palestine has experienced a pandemic with disabilities.

In a post on social media X Lazzarini said, "Gaza has the highest number of children amputated per capita in the world."

"Before the war, one of the five families surveyed had at least one person with a disability. Nearly half of them had children with disabilities," he said, launching WAFA December 3.

"During this war, people who need special care suffer in silence. Their stories are rarely told. However, war has also caused epidemics of traumatic injuries without available rehabilitation services," he explained.

"Now, Gaza has the highest number of children amputated per capita in the world, many have lost their limbs and underwent surgery even without anesthesia," said Lazzarini.

"WHO estimates one in four people injured during the war are life-changing injuries and will require rehabilitation services, including treatment for amputation and spinal injury," he concluded.

Separately, Gaza's health authorities confirmed yesterday that the death toll from the Israeli attacks since October 7, 2023 has risen to 44,466 victims, while injuries reached 105,358, the majority of victims were women and children.