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STORY: WHO / GAZA REHABILITATION PHYSIOTHERAPY
TRT: 07:57
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT WHO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGES: ARABIC / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 08 OCTOBER 2025, AL-AMAL HOSPITAL, KHAN YOUNIS, GAZA
1. Various shots, hospital entrance, reception area
2. Various shots, patients using physio equipment, Physiotherapy Department
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Dr Faiza Barqan, Physical Therapist, Palestinian Red Crescent Society:
“The Medical Rehabilitation Department at Al Amal Hospital receives inpatients and outpatients. Yes. The nature of the cases we receive in the inpatient department is that they require complete rehabilitation. With cases of spinal cord injury, stroke, cases of GBS (Guillain-Barré Syndrome), who are completely dependent on others. Our goal here is for the patient we receive who were dependent on others to be treated and exit the hospital being independentt,self-reliant and not needing anyone else. This is the main goal of receiving a patient. Unfortunately, we are working under great challenges due to the war. We have some shortages due to the war and the current situation. Unfortunately, most of the electronic beds are out of order. We need electronic beds, we need assistive devices for patients; currently we are releasing patients who need devises because I am unable to provide these to them.”
4. Various shots, smartphone screen showing patient Mohammed, shortly after he was admitted to hospital, Mohammed walking unaided, with support of health worker and support bars
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohammed Al-Masry, GBS patient:
“Suddenly on the next day, I fell. My father told me to go fill some water, and when I wanted to carry the gallon, I couldn’t, even though I used to carry the bigger blue one, but I couldn’t carry the yellow gallon. I tried to carry it with both my hands, but I also couldn’t.”
6. Various shots, patient Mohammed, using physio equipment, and being helped to climb stairs
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ahmed Hassan Khalil Al-Masry, Mohammed’s father:
“At the hospital they discovered that he had GBS. He immediately was admitted to the intensive care unit; he entered the intensive care unit the same day I took him to the hospital on foot. He stayed in the intensive care unit for three days where he was treated for the virus.”
8. Various shots, patient Mohammed, walking on treadmill
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Dr Faiza Barqan, Physical Therapist, Palestinian Red Crescent Society “Unfortunately, GBS has become widespread due to the complications of the war, especially among children. Unfortunately, Mohammed arrived at our hospital completely paralyzed. He could neither sit, stand, nor walk. Thank God, we worked with him and created several treatment plans. Regularly we would change the treatment plan according to his improvement. Today, Mohammed, by God's grace, can walk, perform daily activities on his own, sit on his own, move around in bed freely, and perform all his daily duties completely independently.”
10. Various shots, smartphone screen photos of patient Akram before his injury, Akram in wheelchair and being helped to walk
11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Salwa Muhannad, Akram’s mother:
“He was shot at about 11 o’clock in the evening while he was sleeping, and we found out half an hour later that he was injured. I tried to have him stand but he fell every time, he couldn’t stand up, then he told me I can’t stand up. I started to look for why he was not able to stand up then I found out that he was injured in his neck. Then the ambulance came and took us to the hospital.”
12. Various shots, patient Akram and Dr Faiza talking, explosion noise background
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Dr Faiza Barqan, Physical Therapist, Palestinian Red Crescent Society:
“Unfortunately, his spinal cord was affected by the injury. When he arrived, he was unable to move. He was bedridden. He couldn't stand, walk, or anything. We admitted him and did physical, occupational, and speech therapy for him. The mental health department worked with him in order to improve his mental health and that of his family. Currently, thank God, he he’s able sit alone, he stands, he walks, but he walks with the help of the walker, and the specialist is with him so that we can continue with his treatment.”
14. Various shots, field hospital tent, beds
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Richard Peeperkorn, Representative in occupied Palestinian territory, World Health Organization (WHO):
“There are over 169 000 people injured in Gaza, of which one quarter needs lifelong assistive technology. So over 42-43 000 patients will need lifelong assistive technology, of which more than 10 000 are children. They need to be supported in places like this with proper rehabilitation services.”
16. Various shots, new rehabilitation hospital construction taking place
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Richard Peeperkorn, Representative in occupied Palestinian territory, World Health Organization (WHO):
“WHO is a proud partner, PRCS (Palestine Red Crescent Society) is going to expand with a field hospital and a fixed rehabilitation hospital. But it's clear that much more is needed and WHO will also in future, when we talk about early recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction, we will definitely focus on rehabilitation.”
18. Various shots, new wheelchairs being delivered to hospital
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Claire O'Reilly, Rehabilitation Specialist, World Health Organization (WHO):
“We are delivering assistive products including wheelchairs, walkers and crutches and today we are delivering a technical training on how those items can best be prescribed and fitted to patient’s needs.”
20. Various shots, new rehabilitation equipment provided by WHO
According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, nearly 42 000 people in the Gaza Strip have life-changing injuries caused by the two year-long conflict.
One in four of these injuries are in children. Life-changing injuries account for one quarter of all reported injuries of a total of 167 376 people injured since October 2023.
Over 5000 people have faced amputation.
Only 14 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially functional, while less than one-third of pre-conflict rehabilitation services are operating.
None are fully functional. Gaza once had around 1300 physiotherapists and 400 occupational therapists, but many have been displaced, and at least 42 had been killed as of September 2024
