WHO says 22,500 injured people in Gaza need long-term rehabilitation

At least 22,500 people in the embattled Gaza Strip require medical rehabilitation measures that could take years, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

According to an analysis by the Geneva-based WHO, the immense demand for therapies, prosthetics and walking aids cannot be adequately met.

"We urgently need assistance in the area of rehabilitation," WHO representative Richard Peeperkorn said in a video call from the Gaza Strip. "We cannot wait before there is a ceasefire and peace arrangement."

The figures cited by the WHO refer to severe injuries from the start of the war in the Gaza Strip nearly a year ago until July, accounting for roughly a quarter of all injuries during this time.

Most patients requiring rehabilitation have suffered limb injuries. The WHO estimates that approximately 3,000 to 4,000 amputations have been performed since the beginning of the war.

Since December, the Gaza Strip has had no functioning facility for limb reconstruction and rehabilitation. According to the WHO, the shortage of essential materials and medical personnel has compounded the crisis.

Many specialists fled during the conflict, and dozens were reportedly killed.

The war began after the unprecedented October 7 massacre, which saw militants from Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations invade southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking some 250 others as hostages into Gaza.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza and more than 98,000 others injured since the start of the war according to the Hamas-controlled health authority in Gaza.