An NGO says Gaza’s already record high amputations could increase if access to medical materials, expertise, and prosthetic support doesn’t improve.
Gaza is already facing a record level of amputations, and a humanitarian group warns the numbers could climb further as medical aid remains tightly restricted.
Humanity & Inclusion UK, which supports people living with disabilities, said the scale of amputations carried out during the ongoing devastation in Gaza has reached “unprecedented” levels.. The group’s central warning is stark: without faster access to essential medical supplies, technical expertise, and help with patient mobility, amputations and the severity of injuries are likely to keep worsening.
At the peak of the fighting, the group said reports indicated that up to 10 children per day were undergoing one or both leg amputations.. Even estimates that take a conservative approach still suggest an exceptionally high number of amputations when weighed against Gaza’s population—placing the territory, in the NGO’s view, among the highest rates of conflict-related amputations per capita worldwide.
The World Health Organization estimates that between 5,000 and 6,000 people in Gaza have undergone amputations as of early October 2025, when Israel and Hamas signed a ceasefire agreement.. Those amputations form part of a broader pattern of life-altering injuries: the WHO estimate sits alongside the figure of about 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza who have sustained injuries described as life-changing during the two-year conflict.
Six months after the ceasefire, aid access has not stabilized in a way that allows rehabilitation to move forward.. Humanity & Inclusion UK said the entry of humanitarian assistance remains highly unpredictable, with materials subject to approval by Israeli authorities.. The organization added that it has been unable to bring humanitarian supplies and prosthetics to Gaza since February 2025, a restriction that compounds the burden on an already strained health system.
Among the most immediate constraints is the limited availability of prosthetic services.. Humanity & Inclusion UK said only nine prosthetists are currently operating in Gaza, and that they are under “immense pressure” because critical components are in short supply.. The group also linked these bottlenecks to a wider problem: restrictions prevent international specialists from training additional local teams, even as demand remains high.
The human cost of those gaps is visible in the daily realities faced by amputees and their families.. For people living with disabilities, mobility is not simply a convenience; it affects how they reach clinics, how they access rehabilitation, and whether they can carry out basic tasks without constant assistance.. When prosthetic repairs and follow-up care fall behind, injuries can become longer-term disabilities rather than temporary injuries on the road to recovery.
The wider humanitarian setting has continued to deteriorate even after the ceasefire.. The United Nations estimates that more than 700 Palestinians have been killed since October 2025 and another 2,000 have been injured, relying on data cited from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.. UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk said this month that basic movement has become a “life-threatening activity” for Palestinians, warning that deaths of people while walking, driving, or standing outside are recorded nearly every day.
Taken together, the NGO’s warning and the continued casualty figures underline a grim dynamic: amputations may not stop at the point of a ceasefire if medical access stays unreliable and rehabilitation capacity remains constrained.. If entry approvals, supply chains, and technical training do not improve, amputees in Gaza could face prolonged health complications and rising levels of long-term disability—an outcome that can deepen the impact of the conflict for years beyond the immediate injuries.