A UN committee reports that since October 2023, over 21,000 children in Gaza have been permanently disabled, with evacuation barriers and humanitarian restrictions exacerbating the crisis.
A United Nations committee has reported that at least 21,000 children in Gaza have been disabled since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023. In the nearly two-year period, around 40,500 children suffered “new war-related injuries,” with more than half now permanently disabled .
The committee highlighted that Israeli evacuation orders were “often inaccessible” to those with hearing or visual impairments, effectively rendering evacuation impossible. It added: “Reports also described people with disabilities being forced to flee in unsafe and undignified conditions, such as crawling through sand or mud without mobility assistance” .
Humanitarian restrictions are exacerbating suffering, as “People with disabilities faced severe disruptions in assistance, leaving many without food, clean water, or sanitation and dependent on others for survival.” Additionally, 83 percent of disabled individuals have lost their assistive devices, many of which—such as wheelchairs and prosthetics—are treated as “dual-use items” and excluded from aid shipments .
The committee urged delivery of “massive humanitarian aid to persons with disabilities” and called on all parties to implement protection and evacuation measures that consider the needs of the disabled, enabling them to return safely to their homes with support .