Amputating Hope Before Limbs: Disability as a Weapon of Genocide in Gaza

By : Ali Khalil

In Gaza, disability is no longer a matter of fate—it has become a tool of extermination, used in a systematic policy aimed at dismantling Palestinian society from within and turning civilian bodies into permanent maps of destruction.

Since the Israeli war on Gaza began in October 2023, the world has watched from a distance, failing to grasp that what is happening is not merely about loss of life, but about the intentional mutilation of it. Behind the images of corpses and demolished buildings lies a silent crime: thousands of Palestinians who have lost limbs, become paralyzed, or suffered the loss of their basic senses—simply for existing under a sky filled with drones and warplanes.

According to a report by the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, over 21,000 Palestinians have sustained either permanent or temporary disabilities over 681 days of bombing, averaging 30 new disability-related injuries per day—including amputations, loss of sight, paralysis, or other sensory impairments.

These are not just numbers; they are open wounds—etched into bodies and memory alike.

When the Human Body Becomes a Target

These injuries are not unfortunate “collateral damage.” The Israeli military’s repeated and deliberate use of highly destructive weapons—such as cluster bombs and precision-guided missiles—in densely populated areas reveals a clear intent to maximize bodily harm. In Gaza, disability is not a byproduct of war—it is a deliberate strategy to subjugate an entire society, to break its will, and undermine its ability to rebuild and resist.

According to the report, the percentage of people with disabilities in Gaza has risen to 3.4% of the total population, up from approximately 58,000 before the war. That previous figure, too, was already inflated due to years of Israeli aggression—including the suppression of the Great March of Return and previous wars.

The Healthcare System: From Lifeline to Target

Gaza’s healthcare system was never a combatant, yet it has been a primary target. Over 80% of specialized medical facilities for people with disabilities have been destroyed, including:

• Sheikh Hamad Hospital for Prosthetics

• Al-Noor Center for the Blind

• Al-Salama Charity

• Al-Salam Sports Club for the Disabled

• Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children

These institutions were lifelines for tens of thousands. Today, they lie in ruins, leaving injured Palestinians without access to basic treatment, rehabilitation, or prosthetic support.

Not all amputations were caused directly by explosions. Many resulted from medical neglect—a forced consequence of the blockade and healthcare collapse. Lacking medicine, antibiotics, or vascular surgeons, doctors have often resorted to amputation as the only option. One young man, “A.M.”, had his leg amputated six days after being injured, simply because infection set in untreated.

Targeting the Vulnerable

This policy of harm did not stop at injury. During ground incursions, Israeli forces have arrested dozens of people with disabilities, subjecting them to inhumane conditions including torture, medical neglect, and psychological abuse. The absence of rehabilitation services and the Israeli blockade on medical referrals have further condemned many temporary disabilities to become permanent—possibly fatal.

A Calculated Crime: Systematic and Silent

Disabilities in Gaza are not a tragic consequence of war; they are part of a systematic campaign of long-term incapacitation. As defined in Article II of the 1948 Genocide Convention, “causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group” with intent to destroy it wholly or partially constitutes an act of genocide.

What’s happening in Gaza today is a slow-motion genocide—a form of mass annihilation not always visible through body counts, but rather through the crippling of an entire people. A war that kills, yes—but also disables, weakens, and breaks.

What Is the World Waiting For?

It is not enough for these numbers to be archived in human rights reports. This is an ongoing crime that demands immediate action:

• Immediate ceasefire and end to hostilities

• Emergency support for people with disabilities: prosthetics, psychological treatment, rehabilitation

• Reconstruction of destroyed medical facilities

• International accountability for those responsible

• Lifting the illegal blockade on Gaza

• Dismantling the occupation and apartheid regime

Final Word: Between Crippled Bodies and Unbroken Spirits

The Israeli occupation may succeed in amputating limbs, in disabling the hands that once built homes or marched for freedom. But it will never amputate awareness or hope. Today’s disabled Palestinian is not a symbol of weakness, but a living witness to war crimes, and a scar that history will not erase.

They may sever our limbs, but not our belonging.
They may silence our voices, but not our truth.
You may die today or tomorrow—but Palestine will live on.