“ICSPR” Issues a Position Paper Exposing the Grave Violations Against Persons with Disabilities and the Wounded Amid the Ongoing Genocidal War on the Gaza Strip
Date: September 29, 2025
Press Release
“ICSPR” Issues a Position Paper Exposing the Grave Violations Against Persons with Disabilities and the Wounded Amid the Ongoing Genocidal War on the Gaza Strip
The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) has released a new position paper titled: “Persons with Disabilities and the Wounded in the Genocidal War,” prepared by Dr. Ali Al-Attar – Board Member. The paper addresses, from legal, human rights, and humanitarian perspectives, the situation of persons with disabilities and the wounded in the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the Israeli aggression in October 2023 through September 2025.
The paper highlights that persons with disabilities and the wounded remain among the most affected groups amid the war, enduring compounded suffering due to direct targeting, lack of protection, and deprivation of assistive medical devices and health care. The paper provides data showing that:
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Prior to the aggression, Gaza was home to around 58,000 persons with disabilities.
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The war has caused disabilities in more than 21,000 children.
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170,166 injuries have been documented, with over 40% at risk of resulting in permanent disabilities.
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Around 83% of persons with disabilities lost their assistive devices due to destruction or the ban on importing alternatives.
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Women with disabilities face compounded challenges in displacement centers, including lack of privacy, absence of basic hygiene products, and heightened exposure to risks.
The paper stresses that Israel systematically violates the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006), as well as core principles of international humanitarian law, by deliberately targeting the most vulnerable groups and blocking the entry of humanitarian and medical assistance. These actions constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity within the broader context of the ongoing genocidal policy against Palestinians in Gaza.
The paper affirms that the suffering of persons with disabilities and the wounded is no longer a byproduct of the war but rather a deliberate policy aimed at denying this group their fundamental rights. Accordingly, the paper calls for:
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The establishment of an international fact-finding committee to investigate violations against persons with disabilities and the wounded.
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The intervention of the International Criminal Court’s Prosecutor to investigate these crimes.
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Compelling Israel to comply with its obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
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The urgent entry of medical and assistive equipment, and the opening of safe corridors to enable treatment of the wounded and persons with disabilities outside Gaza.
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Empowering local civil society to document and provide support, while enhancing Arab and international pressure to end the war and lift the blockade.
The paper stresses that the continued suffering of persons with disabilities and the wounded in Gaza, amid large-scale destruction and ongoing displacement, reflects the extent of the humanitarian catastrophe inflicted on the Palestinian people. It calls for urgent and decisive international action to end the genocidal war and guarantee a dignified life and equal rights for this most vulnerable group.
