The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, announced on Tuesday the existence of a “disability pandemic” in the Gaza Strip, as a result of the genocide committed by Israel 14 months ago.

This came in a post on the “X” platform on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, corresponding to December 3 of each year, which the United Nations has dedicated since 1992 to support people with disabilities and advocate for their increased inclusion in various areas of life.
Lazzarini said in a statement entitled “Gaza… “Before the war, surveys showed that one in 5 households had at least one member with a disability, and about half of those were children.”

“During this war, people in need of special care have suffered silently, and their stories are rarely told.”

“However, the war has led to a widespread spread of traumatic physical injuries, in the absence of the necessary rehabilitation services,” Lazzarini said.

“Gaza now has the highest rate of child amputees per capita in the world, many of whom have lost limbs and undergone surgeries without anesthesia,” he said.