Strategy Disclosure: Unraveling the Challenge - How can Gaza Provide Medical Care for the 150,000 Wounded During Israel's Conflict?
The conflict in Gaza continues to take a heavy toll on its people, with experts highlighting the urgent need for humanitarian aid to alleviate their suffering.
Dr. Samah Jabr, a Palestinian psychiatrist and psychotherapist, has underscored the importance of addressing the physical and psychological needs of the people of Gaza. She emphasizes the psychological effects of the conflict on the people, particularly in terms of mental health. The destruction of healthcare and social services, combined with ongoing violence, loss, and uncertainty, contributes to long-lasting emotional and psychological tolls on individuals and families.
Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah, a professor of Conflict Medicine at the American University of Beirut, has noted the urgent need for specialist long-term care for the injured Palestinians in Gaza. Over 150,000 Palestinians have been injured during Israel's war on Gaza, many of whom require such care. These injured Palestinians face devastation and a blockade by Israel, which further exacerbates their struggles.
The impact of the conflict on Gaza's people is likely to continue into the future. The destruction of infrastructure, including healthcare facilities, combined with famine and food crises, imposes prolonged physical and psychological harm. Malnutrition among infants causes irreversible health outcomes such as stunted growth, weakened immunity, cognitive impairment, chronic diseases, and reduced educational and economic prospects. This creates a cycle of poor health, poverty, and lower productivity that lasts for decades.
Resilience in Gaza is also undermined economically and socially. The near-total destruction of local production, including agriculture, on which many families depended, eradicates livelihoods essential for sustained health and well-being. Rebuilding Gaza’s agricultural capacity and livelihoods will require large-scale, long-term support to restore food security and economic activity, fundamental to improving health outcomes and resilience.
The Carter Center has emphasized that continued military occupation and conflict exacerbate humanitarian crises and worsen health and mental health conditions. They call for an immediate ceasefire and peaceful resolution to avoid further suffering and help rebuild Gaza’s social fabric and healthcare systems.
In summary, the conflict in Gaza results in profound, multi-dimensional, and persistent consequences that undermine healthcare infrastructure, cause severe physical and mental health impairments, and deplete resilience through destruction of economic and social systems. These issues necessitate sustained humanitarian and development efforts over many years. The people of Gaza face an uncertain future due to the ongoing conflict and its aftermath, and the experts have expressed concerns about this uncertain future.
- The ongoing war in Gaza has led to a surge in medical-conditions, with over 150,000 Palestinians injured, creating a need for specialist long-term care.
- The destruction of healthcare facilities, combined with ongoing violence and uncertainty, has contributed to long-lasting emotional and psychological tolls on individuals and families, emphasizing the urgency of mental health services.
- Malnutrition among infants, a result of the conflict, causes irreversible health outcomes that can lead to chronic diseases, cognitive impairment, and reduced educational and economic prospects, perpetuating a cycle of poor health and poverty.
- The Carter Center highlights that continued conflict exacerbates humanitarian crises, worsening health and mental health conditions, and underscores the need for an immediate ceasefire and peaceful resolution to alleviate suffering and rebuild Gaza's social fabric and healthcare systems.
