Mohammed Hassan recalls, “I was on my way to buy falafel when I saw a rocket coming towards me. It was too fast to outrun, and I ended up with my foot blown off, pinned against the wall.”
At Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the young boy stares at his heavily bandaged left leg, where his foot used to be.
Elsewhere in the hospital, Maryam Abu Alba, a small child, cries out in pain. Her grandmother explains, “Our neighbor’s house was bombed, and their home was hit. One of her legs was amputated, and metal plates were placed in the other due to fractures. She suffers greatly.”
Earlier this year, the UN’s humanitarian aid coordination agency, OCHA, estimated that 4,500 new amputees needed prosthetics, in addition to 2,000 existing cases needing maintenance and follow-up care, while about 24,000 injured people required rehabilitation.
Health facilities are overwhelmed, with many patients undergoing multiple surgeries without adequate medical supplies, including anesthesia.
Mohammad Hassan, a Palestinian child, sits on a hospital bed in Gaza after having his left leg amputated.
In May, as UN humanitarian convoy routes were disrupted, the number of aid distribution points in the Gaza Strip dropped from 400 to a few hubs run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Due to the shortage of humanitarian aid and reduced capacity, thousands of Palestinians have been killed or injured since May while seeking food. Among the wounded are children and parents who, despite losing limbs, continue to search for food and water.
A UN-backed food security report just concluded that famine is confirmed in Gaza governorate, where half a million people are trapped in conditions of starvation, malnutrition, and death.
Ibrahim Abdel Nabi was among the many Palestinians who went to the hubs hoping to find desperately needed supplies for their families.
In his tent at a displacement site in Khan Younis’ coastal Al-Mawasi area, surrounded by his wife and children, Mr. Nabi describes how his journey ended in disaster and life-altering injuries.
“I reached the Al-Alam area, west of Rafah, and was hit by an explosive bullet in my leg. I bled for about an hour and a half, with no help as everyone was focused on finding food for their children.”
Eventually, a group of people rescued him and took him to the nearby Red Cross hospital.
“I stayed there for about a month and a half, undergoing around 12 operations. I became malnourished and lost a lot of blood. Infection spread, and more of my leg had to be amputated.”
Ibrahim Abdel Nabi, a Palestinian displaced in Gaza, sits on a chair while his wife helps him wear a handmade prosthetic limb.
During his recovery, aware that his family still needed food, Mr. Nabi decided to make a simple prosthesis from available materials to get back on his feet and continue finding food and water.
“The prosthesis hurts my leg,” he admitted. “It causes inflammation and increases the pain. We lack medical care or supplies, but I use it despite the pain.”
Mr. Nabi’s wife starts to cry as he speaks. “God willing, we will survive this ordeal,” she says.
Mr. Nabi gets on crutches and heads to a nearby tent, where his wife helps him put on the makeshift prosthesis.
“Don’t strain yourself,” she repeatedly advises. “Take your time. Walk slowly.”
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