Victims of the Palestinian uprising (Intifada): a retrospective review of 220 cases.

The purpose of this study was to review the cases of the victims of the Palestinian uprising (Intifada) and to describe the clinical presentations, the types of weapons used, and the different sites of injuries. This is a retrospective chart review study of the patients who were injured during the Palestinian uprising in the period April 1993-April 1994 and treated in the emergency department of the Barzilai Medical Center, Ashkelon, Israel. The Barzilai Medical Center is a regional level II trauma referral general hospital. Two hundred and twenty patients were injured during the Palestinian uprising and referred to our emergency department. Forty-one patients were citizens of the Gaza area, 26 patients were Israeli civilians, and 153 were Israeli soldiers. There were 55 patients (25%) injured by firearms, 10 patients (4.5%) by explosives, and 120 (54.5%) by striking stones. Seventy-three patients (33.2%) were hospitalized, and 22 patients needed surgery. The most commonly injured part of the body was the lower limb among the Gaza citizens and the head and neck among the Israeli soldiers and civilians. Striking stones was the most common means of injury used by the Palestinians, and stab wounds by knives and other sharp objects were the most common injuries among Israeli civilians. None of the patients suffered direct blast injuries. The Palestinian uprising resulted in many victims and disabled people in both nations. Terrorism did not cease after the peace treaty. It changed its face and moved from Gaza to the center of Israel. Suicidal terrorist bombing in public spaces and public buses carries more danger and more victims with much more severe injuries. We hope that the future will be brighter, and both nations will eventually be able to live in peace.