25% of Gaza wounded have ‘life-changing injuries’: WHO

“At least one in four of the injured in Gaza since October 2023 are estimated to have life-changing injuries that require rehabilitation services now and for years to come,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, on Friday.

His remarks came in line with an earlier statement by the UN agency.

On Thursday, the WHO announced at least 25% of all those wounded since the war erupted in October, or at least 22,500 people as of July 23, had suffered “life-changing injuries”, many requiring amputations and other “huge” rehabilitation needed for years to come.

The figure is “more like 24,000″ by Thursday, according to Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative for the Palestinian territories.

Referring to the ongoing strikes, the WHO chief said “it is critical to ensure access to all essential health services, including rehabilitation to prevent illness and death”.

The WHO also reiterated its call for a ceasefire in Gaza, “which is critical for rebuilding the health system to cope with escalating needs”.

Israel unleashed its war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupied territories in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

The Tel Aviv regime has also imposed a “complete siege” on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

Since the start of the aggression, the Tel Aviv regime has killed more than 41,100 Palestinians and injured over 95,100 others, with most of the victims being women and children.