(July 9, 2025)

According to conversations PHRI staff held with doctors in the Strip, as well as information published by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), doctors report a severe shortage of painkillers, which has led to amputations being performed without anesthesia, including in children. Doctors have also reported performing amputations in unsanitary conditions, without proper surgical equipment, and in some cases even outside of hospital buildings. In situations where basic medications such as antibiotics were unavailable, doctors had to amputate limbs to save lives – even in cases where amputation could have been avoided under normal circumstances.

According to the WHO report, about 4,370 adults and children who lost limbs during the current war are still waiting to receive assistive devices such as crutches or prosthetics. Additionally, 83% of people currently living with a disability in the Gaza Strip lost their assistive devices and other essential equipment during displacement.