NUMBER OF AMPUTEES SET TO RISE IN GAZA AS ISRAEL BLOCKS AID, NGO WARNS

The number of amputees in Gaza, already at a record high, could rise as Israel continues to restrict medical aid into the devastated strip, a humanitarian group has warned.

Humanity & Inclusion UK, which works with people living with disabilities, said this week that the scale of amputations carried out in Gaza reached “unprecedented” levels during the genocide.

“Without immediate improvements in access to materials, technical expertise, and patient mobility, the number of amputees, and the severity of their conditions, will continue to rise,” the group warned.

“At the height of the conflict, reports indicated that up to 10 children per day were undergoing one or both leg amputations. Even the most conservative figures point to an exceptionally high number of amputations relative to Gaza’s population, likely placing it among the highest rates of conflict-related amputations per capita globally.”

The World Health Organization estimates that between 5,000 and 6,000 people in Gaza have undergone amputations as of early October 2025, when Israel and Hamas signed a ceasefire agreement. They are among the 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza who have sustained life-changing injuries during the two-year conflict.

Six months after the ceasefire, conditions remain dire due to Israel’s blocking of humanitarian aid from entering the enclave.

“The entry of aid remains highly unpredictable, with all materials subject to approval by Israeli authorities,” Humanity & Inclusion UK said. The organisation has itself been prevented from bringing humanitarian supplies and prosthetics to Gaza since February 2025. 

Only nine prosthetists are currently operating in Gaza, the group said, and they are under “immense pressure” due to a shortage of critical components.

Entry restrictions mean that international specialists are unable to train more local teams despite high demand.

The casualty rate, meanwhile, continues to rise despite the ceasefire.

The United Nations estimates that more than 700 Palestinians have been killed since October 2025 and another 2,000 have been injured, citing data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk said this month that basic movement has become a “life-threatening activity” for Palestinians, stating that “incidents of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces while walking, driving, or standing outside are recorded nearly every day”.