UN: One in Five Amputees in Gaza Are Children as Prosthetic Care Crisis Deepens
The United Nations has warned of an alarming health situation in Gaza Strip, where one in five amputees is a child, amid a severe shortage of prosthetics specialists and ongoing restrictions on the entry of medical equipment, nearly seven months after the ceasefire agreement came into force.
During a press briefing on Monday, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric expressed growing concern over the worsening health conditions, particularly the spread of skin diseases and other illnesses linked to the presence of pests and rodents.
He said that more than 6,600 people need prosthetics and rehabilitation care, recalling that thousands of wounded have undergone amputations since October 2023, while only eight technicians are currently available to provide services on the ground.
In this regard, meeting the demand could take “five years or more,” the UN official warned, stressing that current capacities are vastly insufficient in the face of the scale of need.
The UN is therefore calling for the urgent deployment of international specialists and the removal of obstacles to the delivery of necessary equipment, which remain subject to restrictions imposed by the Zionist authorities.
