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Gaza Strip Records Highest Number of Child Amputees per Capita
The Gaza Strip holds the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world, according to the World Health Organization. Children have faced displacement and limited medical care following bombings that began in October 2023.
Jul 19, 9:21 AM·1m read1 source
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The Gaza Strip holds the record for the highest number of amputee children per capita worldwide, the World Health Organization stated. The designation follows bombings that began on October 7, 2023. Children have attempted to rebuild their lives amid forced displacement and reduced access to medical services in damaged facilities.
A 13-year-old boy no longer sleeps through the night.
He stares at the stumps of his arm and leg and wakes family members to stay with him. Parents and siblings have tried to comfort him, but the ritual repeats each night.
August 4, 2024, two missiles struck a school building in Gaza City where the boy and his family had taken refuge. He had been preparing roller skates for a race with friends. The boy recalled seeing corpses and wounded people upon regaining consciousness.
His uncle described carrying the boy after the strike, noting the loss of an arm and severe damage to a leg. Surgeons at Al-Ahli Hospital amputated the leg days later under limited anesthetic, the boy's father said. Foreign media have been barred from entering the Gaza Strip by Israel since October 7, 2023.
