In Gaza, Israel’s genocide does not stop at destruction, killing, and displacement, but leaves scars that are not immediately visible to the eye, yet gnaw at people’s lives for years to come. Amidst the rubble and tents in Gaza, disabled people face double hardship: exhausted bodies, traumatized souls, and a complete breakdown of basic services. What was difficult before Israel’s genocide has now become impossible, as the war machine deprives them of treatment, rehabilitation, and a dignified life, leaving them hanging on the margins of survival.

The reality for disabled people in the Gaza Strip is becoming a double tragedy as the war continues. Their suffering is no longer limited to their previous physical or sensory disabilities, but has been exacerbated by bombing, displacement, and the collapse of the health system and rehabilitation services.

A dysfunctional system and violated rights of disabled people in Gaza

Estimates by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization indicate that the health sector in Gaza is now unable to meet anything more than 1% of the needs of disabled people, after meeting only about 10% before the war.

A report issued by the organization confirmed that 70% of disabled people have been unable to access rehabilitation services since the start of the war, while prosthetic devices and assistive tools have completely stopped reaching the sector, crippling the lives of thousands of families.

Statistics indicate that 134,000 Palestinians were injured during the war, including about 40,000 children, noting that 25% of them suffer from new disabilities that require long-term treatment and rehabilitation. With the absence of basic capabilities and services, these figures are turning into a worsening humanitarian disaster.

The suffering of disabled women

Humanity & Inclusion confirmed that disabled women in Gaza face what it called “compound disabilities,” with psychological trauma, depression, anxiety, and fear adding to their physical suffering. The lack of protection and privacy in shelters and tents increases their vulnerability and exposes them to constant abuse in the absence of any safe environment.

A report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch emphasized that disabled people in displacement centers face marginalization, violence, and a lack of privacy and basic services, which constitutes a flagrant violation of their human rights guaranteed by international law.

Amputation… a wound that will not heal

In its latest statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Social Development revealed that there have been more than 12,000 new cases of amputation since the start of the war, including about 5,000 children, confirming that persons with disabilities have become one of the most deprived groups in terms of treatment, education, protection, and living with dignity.

What disabled people in Gaza are experiencing is not just a side effect of the war, but an open wound that reflects the depth of the entire humanitarian tragedy. Their bodies, weighed down by the bombardment, and their spirits, exhausted by fear and despair, are today reduced to a cruel equation: lack of treatment, loss of security, and deprivation of the most basic rights.

Continuing to ignore their suffering means leaving tens of thousands of people to a fate that grows harsher every day, while the call remains the same: an immediate end to the war and the restoration of this group’s right to the dignified life they have been denied.

Featured image via the Canary