(Wall Street Journal) – The Palestine Red Crescent Society estimated at the end of December about 12,000 people, including about 5,000 children, had lost one or more limbs because of the war in Gaza. The organization, based in the West Bank, said it hasn’t been able to update its numbers this year because telecommunications in Gaza are often down and most of the hospitals are no longer operating.

Buildings have been decimated, burying entire families underneath the rubble. The Israeli campaign of airstrikes has led to large numbers of crush injuries, including broken bones and amputations. Doctors and medical experts say the rough nature of the injuries often makes salvaging tissue and blood vessels difficult. Some draw comparisons with the impact of earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria last year. (Read More)