United Nations, January 15 (RHC)-- Save the Children says Israel’s use of explosive weapons in Gaza condemned an average of 475 children each month – or 15 children a day – to potentially lifelong disabilities.  These injuries include loss of limbs, sight and hearing.

The group said the figure comes from an analysis conducted by humanitarian organisations on the ground in Gaza, which shows that at least 5,230 children sustained injuries requiring significant rehabilitation support in the first 11 months of 2024.

But this kind of support is currently inaccessible in Gaza due to Israel’s attacks on hospitals and healthcare workers, as well as its restrictions on the entry of critical supplies, leaving the wounded children with a high likelihood of disability.

“Gaza is redefining war injuries,” said Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah, a surgeon with expertise in treating blast injuries in children who spent 45 days in Gaza in 2023.

“I saw many babies who suffered amputations before learning to walk, which will affect their development as their brain hasn’t picked up proper reception and eye-hand coordination yet,” he said.

“Thousands of children now need prosthetics, and they are likely to develop issues on the opposite limb.  They may get early osteoarthritis in the hip joint and the knee joint, or they may get deformity of the back.  By their 20s or 30s, they may need joint replacements, something people normally get in their 70s and 80s, because of the disproportionate pressure put on the normal joint,” he added.