UN committee says Palestinians with disabilities fear being killed first

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - People with disabilities in Gaza fear being killed "first” or “the next to be killed" because of the limited opportunities to flee due to their impairment, a UN committee warned Monday.

UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities said in a statement that the absence of advance warning in accessible formats, coupled with the destruction of communication networks, has rendered evacuation impossible for Palestinians with disabilities.

"The vast destruction of housing and civil infrastructure and the resultant rubble has curtailed any possibility of movement that is essential to escape, evacuate and seek protection," the committee said.

The case of Y. M., an advocate for an NGO, is illustrative of the challenges faced by those living with disabilities in insecure environments, it said. He had a visual impairment that made him vulnerable to attacks and bombings, as his house was located in a high-risk area. He was killed at home on Dec. 7, leaving behind four children aged 2, 3, 8, and 10 years old, according to the committee.

"He did not get evacuation information in a timely or accessible format, nor did he or his relatives benefit from any specific accessible passages, accommodations, and shelters where he could have found the safety measures and escaped the airstrike," it regretted.

The committee also stressed that children with disabilities are at "heightened risk of family separation, and their suffering is unendurable."

It expressed shock about the account of a 14-year-old girl with cerebral palsy, a refugee in Eastern Rafah, who had lost her assistive devices, including a wheelchair, during military attacks and thus had to be carried by her parents while fleeing from North to South Gaza.

The committee was dismayed to learn that children in overcrowded refugee camps and tents, such as Amir, an intellectually disabled boy who fled Khan Younis with his mother and brother, have lost their opportunity for education and rehabilitation, it said.

It added that Amir’s condition has deteriorated since their relocation to the tent, and he has displayed increased nervousness and anxiety.

"Amir and the 14-year-old girl’s situation exposed the ongoing psychological distress and trauma suffered by children with disabilities," the committee said.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 21% of Gazan households reported having had at least one member with disabilities, and 58,000 people with disabilities had been identified before Oct. 7.

Since then, more than 1,000 children have had their limbs amputated.

"These figures, however, could have rocketed after seven months of war and escalation of hostilities. It remained difficult to obtain reliable data and information about people with disabilities," the committee noted.

It also voiced alarm over the "disproportionate impacts" on people with disabilities due to the destruction of hospitals, the cut-off of essential services, restrictions, or non-existing access to humanitarian assistance.

The committee called for an immediate cease-fire and urged all parties to cease attacks, violence, and hostilities against civilians.

It recalled that Israel, as the occupying power in Gaza and a state party to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, has its obligation to take all necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of people with disabilities in situations of risk, including situations of armed conflict.

Israel has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

The military campaign has turned much of the enclave of 2.3 million people into ruins, leaving most civilians homeless and at risk of famine.