The Turkish organization “Doctors Worldwide” has reopened a center for physical therapy and rehabilitation in Khan Younis, Gaza, marking a significant step forward in addressing the urgent healthcare needs in the region. This reopening follows the destruction of the center’s previous location during the prolonged Israeli offensive, underscoring the critical importance of specialized medical services for the injured and disabled. With the rising demand for healthcare in the aftermath of conflict, the center aims to play a vital role in restoring the physical well-being of community members.
The center, which has been operational since 2015, provides physical therapy and rehabilitation services amid a severe decline in the healthcare sector and a significant shortage of functioning medical facilities in Gaza.
Du’a Al-Hilu, the director of the Gaza office for “Doctors Worldwide,” stated, “Today we opened the Khan Younis center for physical therapy after our previous location was destroyed.” She added, “We have reopened the center to establish a stable presence for the organization in the Khan Younis area to serve the people there.”
Al-Hilu highlighted that the healthcare situation in Gaza is catastrophic, with the healthcare system in ruins and hospitals severely damaged. She noted that the available healthcare services are minimal compared to the scale of need.
During the offensive that began on October 8, 2023, and lasted for two years, the healthcare system in Gaza suffered extensive losses due to continuous Israeli targeting, resulting in 34 hospitals and 80 health centers being rendered inoperable, along with the destruction of 132 ambulances, according to data from the government media office in the sector.
Al-Hilu explained that the organization is experiencing a severe shortage of medical supplies due to the circumstances of war and its repercussions. She confirmed that medical consumables and necessary materials have not sufficiently entered to meet the sector’s needs.
She called on relevant authorities to “press for their responsibilities towards Gaza.” Al-Hilu expressed the organization’s aspiration to “develop the center to include prosthetic services, given the significant increase in amputation cases, to assist the injured and instill hope for continuing their lives with assistive devices and prosthetics.”
In the latest statistics published by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza in November, approximately 6,000 amputation cases were recorded over two years of the Israeli offensive on the sector, highlighting the urgent need for immediate and long-term rehabilitation programs.
The Israeli offensive, supported by the United States, has resulted in more than 70,000 Palestinian deaths and over 171,000 injuries, with devastating destruction affecting 90% of the civil infrastructure in the sector.