DaysofPal- Thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are facing the growing risk of permanent blindness as Israel’s blockade continues to restrict the entry of vital medical equipment, even as eye injuries caused by the war reach unprecedented levels. The crisis persists nearly 90 days after a ceasefire agreement came into effect, with Gaza’s health system still unable to respond to the scale of need.
Dr. Abdel Salam Sabah, a consultant ophthalmologist and director of the Eye Hospital affiliated with Gaza’s Ministry of Health, warned that patients with eye injuries are confronting a real and immediate threat of losing their sight due to severe shortages of medicines, surgical tools, and diagnostic equipment. He said the hospital records cases of vision loss on a daily basis, as doctors remain unable to perform essential surgical interventions under the current restrictions.
According to health authorities, the total number of war-related injuries in Gaza has exceeded 171,000, with eye injuries accounting for approximately 11 percent, or nearly 17,000 cases. Children make up about 20 percent of those affected, placing them among the most vulnerable groups due to weaker immunity and limited treatment options. Medical officials have warned that this trend could lead to a sharp rise in long-term visual disability across Gaza’s population.
Dr. Sabah revealed that more than 3,000 people have already lost their eyesight during the war, noting that the absence of comprehensive final data suggests the true number may be significantly higher once full assessments are completed.
He stressed that many injuries require urgent medical intervention, particularly cases involving penetration of the eyeball and embedded shrapnel. Delays in treatment, he warned, often result in severe complications that can ultimately lead to the complete loss of the eye.
Echoing these concerns, Dr. Iyad Abu Karsh, head of surgery and anesthesia at Gaza’s Eye Hospital, said that in the northern Gaza Strip alone, the hospital received approximately 2,077 eye injury cases between January 2024 and September 2025.
He explained that 18 percent of these cases resulted in the removal of the eye, while 34 percent involved foreign bodies lodged inside the eye. Another 9 percent of patients sustained injuries to both eyes, significantly increasing the likelihood of total and permanent blindness.
Human rights organizations have also raised alarm over the scale and nature of the injuries.
Mohammed Khairy, coordinator at the Gaza Center for Human Rights, said the sharp rise in eye injuries reflects a troubling pattern documented through field investigations and survivor testimonies. He stated that civilians were deliberately subjected to permanent disabilities through direct sniper fire targeting the eyes, in addition to injuries caused by bombardment and weapons that disperse large quantities of shrapnel.
Khairy warned that nearly 5,000 patients are now at risk of blindness due to the destruction of the Eye Hospital’s infrastructure and the continued ban on the entry of diagnostic equipment and medical supplies. He added that around 2,400 patients remain on surgical waiting lists, requiring urgent procedures that cannot be performed inside Gaza because the necessary capabilities are unavailable.
He described the ongoing restrictions on medical equipment as a form of collective punishment and a grave violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, particularly as medical teams are forced to rely on rudimentary tools wholly inadequate for treating such complex injuries.
A ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel came into force last October, following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas and the return of displaced residents to northern Gaza.
The truce formed part of the first phase of a U.S.-backed initiative aimed at ending the war.
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