Palestinians with Disabilities Face ‘Immense Challenges’ in Gaza – UNRWA

August 15, 2025 News
Israel has continued to use starvation of civilians as a weapon of war against Palestinians in Gaza.(Photo: via QNN)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

In Gaza, 134,105 Palestinians, including over 40,500 children, have new war-related injuries, while ten children per day lose one or both of their legs, according to the Global Protection Cluster.

Palestinians with disabilities face “immense challenges” in their daily lives and in accessing essential services in the Gaza Strip, the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has warned.

More than 83 percent of these persons have lost their assistive devices, the UN agency stated, citing the Global Protection Cluster (GPC), a network of NGOs, international organizations and UN agencies.

“They lack everything – food, assistive devices, healthcare,” UNRWA said.

Ongoing Attacks on Health Sector

According to the latest update from the GPC, “134,105 people including over 40,500 children have new war-related injuries,” while 25 percent are estimated to have new disabilities requiring acute and ongoing rehabilitation.

In addition, more than “35,000 people are believed to have significant hearing damage due to explosions”, and “ten children per day lose one or both of their legs.”

The GPC warned that as needs rapidly expand, response services continue to be attacked and impeded.

“Hospitals, ambulances, and medical and humanitarian personnel have been systematically targeted, with over 1,580 health workers and 467 humanitarian staff killed,” it stated.

Danger at GHF Aid Sites

The network also highlighted the risks for Palestinians trying to access aid through the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), where more than 1,000 people have been killed since the end of May.

“Militarized non-humanitarian drop points operated by the ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’ expose people attempting to access food to extreme risk of killing and injury, and fully excludes entire sectors of the population, including persons with disabilities and older persons,” GPC stated.

The Aid that Kills: Gaza and a Game We Never Chose

Over 83 percent of persons with disabilities in Gaza “have lost their assistive devices,” and 80 percent of older persons in Gaza are in urgent need of medication or medical supplies, it warned.

GPC also pointed out that the “ongoing and repeated forced displacement of 90 per cent of the population has a significant impact on persons with disabilities and older persons.”

Separation from Caregivers

In addition, “Interrupted care and separation from caregivers through displacement is driving expanding mental health concerns and increased exposure to neglect, abuse, and exploitation.”

Older women and women and girls with disabilities face compounded risks due to overlapping vulnerabilities to exclusion and discrimination, it stated.

Staggering Death Toll

Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment.

On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 61,700, wounding more than 154,500, with over 14,000 still missing.

UNRWA: Gaza Endures Scorching Heat with ‘No Relief’ amid Israeli Blockade

Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable.

Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.

The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

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