UN: 21,000 Children Left Disabled in Gaza Since War Began

At least 21,000 children in Gaza have been left with disabilities since the war erupted on 7 October 2023, according to a United Nations committee report released on Tuesday.

The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities stated that nearly 40,500 children have sustained war-related injuries during the conflict, with more than half now living with permanent impairments.

In its review of conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories, the committee warned that children and adults with hearing or vision impairments often missed Israeli evacuation orders, making safe escape impossible.

The report also cited cases of people with disabilities forced to flee in unsafe and undignified conditions, including crawling through sand or mud without mobility assistance.

The committee highlighted that restrictions on humanitarian aid entering Gaza disproportionately harm persons with disabilities, many of whom face severe shortages of food, clean water and sanitation, leaving them dependent on others for survival.

Physical obstacles such as rubble and the destruction of mobility equipment under the debris have further obstructed access to aid distribution points.

According to the UN body, 83 per cent of people with disabilities have lost essential mobility aids. Most cannot afford replacements, with some resorting to makeshift alternatives such as donkey carts.