Nearly 42,000 people in Gaza have sustained life-changing injuries since October 7, 2023, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report that was released on Thursday.
One in four of the injured are children, said WHO, noting that at least 5,000 people have undergone amputations.
Severe injuries include more than 22,000 to arms and legs, over 2,000 spinal cord injuries, 1,300 brain injuries and north of 3,300 major burns, the report found.
Complex facial and eye injuries, particularly for those awaiting evacuation, were also highlighted as a growing source of disability and stigma.
The report warned that Gaza's health system is on the brink of collapse, with only 14 of 36 hospitals partially functional and less than one-third of pre-war rehabilitation services operating.
Despite thousands of amputations, Gaza has just eight prosthetists able to produce and fit artificial limbs, it stressed.
The rehabilitation workforce has been decimated, with at least 42 specialists killed as of September 2024, said the WHO.
"Rehabilitation is vital not only for trauma recovery but also for people with chronic conditions and disabilities," said Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territory.
He added that displacement, malnutrition and the lack of psychosocial support are compounding the crisis.
The UN agency called for urgent protection of the health care system, unrestricted entry of medical supplies and an immediate ceasefire.
"The people of Gaza deserve peace, the right to health and care, and a chance to heal," it said.
