ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Int. J. Public Health
Trauma by the Numbers: A Cross-Sectional Analysis and Categorization of Trauma Cases in the Gaza War
- MW
Muaaz Wajahath 1
- TN
Tariq Nayfeh 2
- EN
Elias Nasser 3
- BI
Bilal Irfan 4
- RB
Rohit Balasundaram Bds 5
- MN
Mosab Nasser 6
- KJ
Khaled J Saleh 6
1. College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, United States
2. Johns Hopkins Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States, Maryland, 21218
3. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States, Texas, 75390
4. Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States, Massachusetts, 02115
5. University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, United States, Texas, 76107
6. School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, United States, Michigan, 48201
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Abstract
Objectives: To categorize and analyze trauma cases from the Gaza war, identifying injury patterns and informing future humanitarian efforts in conflict zones.A cross-sectional study was conducted in April 2024 at European Gaza Hospital. Data on demographics and injury types were collected from patients treated by FAJR Scientific's surgical team. Injuries were classified into primary (directly conflict-related), secondary (indirectly conflict-related), and tertiary (unrelated to the conflict). Statistical analyses included Kruskal-Wallis H test, logistic regression, and Fisher's Exact Test.Results: Among the 80 surgical cases analyzed, primary injuries were the most common (53%), predominantly affecting males aged 30-39. Secondary injuries accounted for 14% of cases, while tertiary injuries represented 33%. Significant associations were found between age categories and injury classifications (p < 0.05).The prevalence of primary injuries highlights the severe impact of conflict on civilians, particularly middle-aged males. The findings suggest the need for enhanced orthopedic surgical capacity, integrated chronic disease management, and specialized pediatric care in conflict zones. Improved data collection and analysis are essential for optimizing medical interventions and resource allocation.
Summary
Keywords
Trauma epidemiology, Conflict Zones, Injury Classification, Humanitarian Efforts, Gaza war
Received
20 August 2024
Accepted
07 May 2025
Copyright
© 2025 Wajahath, Nayfeh, Nasser, Irfan, Balasundaram Bds, Nasser and Saleh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Muaaz Wajahath, wajahath@msu.edu
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.