The impact of the intifada on the health of a nation

Abstract

This article describes the nature and extent of non-fatal injuries sustained by Palestinians during the first three months of the second intifada in late 2000 by looking at two sets of data. 10,279 cases were obtained from the records of the Red Crescent Organization, which provides first level emergency care via ambulance crews in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. For 6,071 cases in the West Bank, additional information was available from the Ministry of Health, which keeps records of first and second emergency level care provided at hospitals and health points. The Ministry of Health cases were classified by type of weapon, site of injury and level of treatment provided. Fifty-eight per cent of injuries occurred in young men 18-34 years, but 25 per cent occurred in school children, ten per cent in people over 50 years and five per cent in females. Fifty-nine per cent of the injuries were caused by bullets and 76 per cent of these affected the upper part of the body; 13.4 per cent of the injuries were severe, with major implication for disability and the need for long-term care and support.