An open wound is under siege.. Gazans with disabilities are screaming on their International Day

In front of the Gaza Municipality’s Prosthetics and Paralysis Center, young Ahmed Ahl leaned on his crutch on International Day of Persons with Disabilities, enduring his pain and remaining standing despite the ongoing repercussions of the genocidal war.

His leg, amputated due to Israeli bombing during the war, plunged him into a labyrinth of suffering, but it wasn’t his only tragedy. Speaking softly to the newspaper “Palestine,” he said, “I lost my mother, my father, my brother, my home, and my leg, and now I’m living in a rented apartment.”

Around him, the voices of amputees and other disabled individuals echoed like human cries, and Ahl raised his voice to the world: “We have persevered and endured… We hope the whole world will stand with us and not forget people with disabilities.”

His outcry was not an isolated incident. Standing beside him was Ghassan al-Sousi, burdened by his injury and the amputation of his right leg, sustained during the war of extermination launched by the occupation on October 7, 2023. He told the newspaper “Palestine”: “A deep wound… I have a family to support… and because of the war, we are deprived of everything… we can’t even find treatment.”

Then al-Sousi looked up at the crowds and journalists: “A message to the world… look upon us with compassion and uphold our rights… we are marginalized.”

This is how a solidarity vigil began yesterday, called for by the Prosthetics and Paralysis Center – Gaza Municipality and the Network of Bodies Representing People with Disabilities, on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, in front of the center’s headquarters in the heart of Gaza City.

The vigil was an attempt to amplify the voices of thousands of newly wounded individuals, many of whom lost limbs or mobility during the war of extermination.

The genocidal war waged by Israel on the Gaza Strip has left a massive wave of serious injuries, according to a statement issued by the Prosthetics and Paralysis Center.

Dr. Yahya al-Sarraj, the mayor of Gaza, who read the statement, said: “There are approximately 6,000 amputations, according to Ministry of Health data, including 1,700 recent cases during the war that were registered and treated at our center, in addition to 1,600 previous cases.”

According to the statement, the number of spinal cord and brain injuries has risen to 3,000, of which the center has received 1,800 cases requiring ongoing care and rehabilitation.

The statement indicated that this large influx of injured people has placed unprecedented pressure on the center, given the severe shortage of raw materials needed to manufacture prosthetics and assistive devices, in addition to the damage inflicted on the center’s facilities and equipment.

The center called for lifting the Israeli blockade and opening the crossings to allow the entry of raw materials and equipment, and for urgent international and humanitarian support to ensure the continuation of vital services.

It also called for supporting the wounded and enabling them to regain their mobility and live with dignity.