Israel Targets Prosthetics Hospital, Medical Warehouse in Gaza Strip, Home to World's Highest Rate of Child Amputees

Amid an ongoing, monthslong blockade, Israeli forces bombed a prosthetics hospital and medical warehouse, housing prosthetic limbs and vital medicine, in a region with the world's highest rate of child amputees.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) bombed the Hamad Hospital for Rehabilitation and Prosthetics in Gaza City, one of the few remaining functioning medical facilities in the Gaza Strip that offers rehabilitation services for hearing, balance, and prosthetics, Anadolu Agency reported.

Qatar established the hospital in 2019 and condemned Monday's attack in a scathing statement from the nation's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It labeled Israel's actions against Palestinians "a war of genocide" and called on the international community "to assume its moral and legal responsibilities to end this brutal war immediately and address the catastrophic humanitarian conditions it has caused."

Jordan, which has diplomatic affairs with Israel, and Kuwait, which severed ties with Israel, also denounced the attack.

Also on Monday, Israeli forces bombed a warehouse at Nasser Hospital, which was stocked with aid from the WHO and other medical organizations, destroying 30% of its supplies, according to Al Jazeera. The medical aid was especially critical as Israel continues to block aid, including food, water, and medical supplies, from entering the region since March 2.

The hospital is also located in an area under a forced displacement order by the Israeli military, forcing Palestinians to evacuate the region.

Across the Gaza Strip, an area roughly the size of Philadelphia, Israel's ongoing assault has left between 3,000 and 4,000 children with one or more amputated limbs, according to the Guardian, making it the region with the highest number of child amputees in the world.

More than 14,000 children have been killed and at least 25,000 have been injured since Oct. 7, 2023. The death toll has reached more than 54,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children, as the IDF continues escalating its attacks in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.