Gaza: wounded Palestinians will need ‘half a million’ surgical procedures post-war

A Palestinian health official has said that Palestinians wounded in Gaza as a result of the Israeli war will need to undergo about half a million surgical procedures if and when the fighting ends, Anadolu Agency has reported.

“There are more than 94,000 wounded persons in Gaza who each need an average of three to four surgical procedures post-war,” explained Abdul Latif Al-Hajj. “Israel is disregarding all humanitarian values and international laws by bombing hospitals, schools and kindergartens.”

Al-Hajj added that the healthcare system in Gaza faces major, bordering on catastrophic, challenges, including the loss of more than 70 per cent of its clinical capacity due to the bombing of hospitals and clinics, which has taken them out of service.

According to the Palestinian official, 14 hospitals in Gaza are currently in operation, of which only four are major centres; the rest are small non-governmental clinics. He pointed out that more than 50 per cent of essential medicines and 60 per cent of laboratory materials are currently unavailable in Gaza. More than 880 healthcare workers have been killed since the beginning of the war, he added.

The Israeli army has targeted hospitals and the wider healthcare system in Gaza since last October, putting many hospitals out of service, endangering the lives of patients and staff, according to Palestinian and international data.

READ: Israel: sources accuse Blinken of sabotaging Gaza ceasefire talks