The World Health Organization reported that over 5,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have undergone limb amputations due to injuries sustained in the intense war launched by Israel on the territory since October 2023.

According to a report published by WHO on Thursday, about 42,000 people in Gaza suffer from life-altering injuries caused by the ongoing conflict, with a quarter of the injured being children.

The report stated that life-changing injuries account for a quarter of the total reported injuries, which have reached 167,376 since the war began two years ago.

It also recorded other severe injuries, including arm and leg injuries, spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, and major burns, increasing the need for specialized surgical services and rehabilitation, deeply affecting patients and their families across Gaza.

The report highlighted the prevalence of complex facial and eye injuries, especially among patients listed for medical evacuation outside Gaza, which often lead to disfigurement, disability, and social stigma.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said two years of war and conflict have destroyed the health system and caused immense suffering to Palestinians.

He explained that the destruction of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure is “massive and will take a long time to rebuild,” while the physical and mental harm to people is “even worse,” with new data showing the extent of damage to Gaza’s population and health system.

He stressed that rehabilitation services are essential for people with non-communicable diseases and disabilities, noting that WHO has supported the evacuation of 7,841 patients for medical treatment outside Gaza since the conflict began.

Since the closure of the Rafah crossing in May last year, WHO has coordinated all medical evacuations, with Egypt, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Jordan, and EU countries being the largest recipients of evacuated patients from Gaza.

Ghebreyesus also noted that about 15,600 patients are still awaiting medical evacuation, including 3,800 children.

He explained that WHO can only conduct evacuations once a week and called on more countries to receive these patients, urging the resumption of medical evacuations to the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and called for an “increase in the pace of evacuations.”

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, about 1,800 health workers and at least 543 relief workers have been killed since the devastating war began.

WHO renewed its call for an immediate ceasefire, affirming that the people of Gaza deserve peace, the right to health and care, and a chance to heal. Tedros welcomed the Gaza peace plan proposed by U.S. President Trump and supported by other countries in the region and beyond.