Gaza Health Ministry reports more than 6,000 amputations amid prosthetics shortage

More than 6,000 amputations have been recorded in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war, as shortages of medical supplies and equipment hamper efforts to provide prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation services, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

Husni Muhanna, media and public relations officer at Gaza’s Prosthetics and Paralysis Center, said children account for approximately 25 percent of people receiving services at the facility.

He said treating children with amputations presents particular challenges because they require specialized rehabilitation and prosthetic limbs that must be repeatedly adapted as they grow.

Muhanna said restrictions on the entry of medical and technical supplies have significantly limited the center’s ability to respond to the growing number of patients requiring prosthetics.

The center is experiencing severe shortages of equipment and materials needed to manufacture artificial limbs, he said, including plaster used during essential stages of the production process.

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Separate figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that 2,277 people with amputations in Gaza were assessed between September 2024 and May 2026. According to the WHO data, 18 percent were children, while 76 percent of the recorded amputations involved lower limbs.

The Health Ministry’s figure of more than 6,000 amputations covers a broader population than those assessed in the WHO data and therefore does not directly conflict with the UN agency’s figures.

The war has left large numbers of Palestinians with serious injuries and permanent disabilities, while damage to hospitals and other health facilities has severely disrupted rehabilitation and prosthetics services.

Palestinian health authorities and humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned that shortages of medical equipment, rehabilitation supplies and other essential materials are limiting treatment for people with long-term injuries and disabilities in Gaza.

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