A Dream Shattered: Gaza's Amputees Struggle Amid Blockade and Rubble

Gaza Strip – Before Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza, Shurouq Khaira, 24, was a promising track and field athlete. She won the national championship in 2016 and dreamed of competing at the Olympics. “I want the world to know that the people of Gaza are still alive, still dreaming, still striving, and achieving,” Shurouq said.

On November 19, 2023, an Israeli artillery shell struck her family's home in the Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City. Shurouq survived but was wounded so severely that doctors had to amputate her right leg below the knee. Her father, who inspired her to take up athletics, also lost both legs to amputation.

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, about 6,000 Palestinians have undergone limb amputations since the war began. The United Nations estimates that about a quarter of these cases are children, making Gaza home to the highest number of child amputees in modern history.

Orthopedic doctors in Gaza say many amputations could have been avoided if hospitals had not collapsed due to shortages of surgical supplies, disinfectants, and anesthetics. Israel has imposed strict restrictions on goods entering Gaza, including essential items for prosthetic production such as silicone, thermoplastics, medical bandages, and mechanical joints, citing the possibility of their use for military purposes.

In the face of this shortage, technicians in Gaza have resorted to crafting makeshift prosthetics and crutches from plastic pipes, wood, and aluminum salvaged from destroyed buildings. However, Jamal Kallab, a rehabilitation specialist in Gaza, warns that these devices are not tailored to the body's specific needs, resulting in uneven weight distribution that causes friction, swelling, and ulcers, rendering them unusable over extended periods.

Beyond the lack of supplies, the sheer number of patients and insufficient facilities mean many face long waits before starting rehabilitation programs. Bissan Kloub, a physical therapist, explains that such delays lead to muscle weakness, joint stiffness, reduced range of motion, and skin swelling, which impede the healing process. “This challenge is even more profound for adolescents and children, as limb loss affects their self-image and social relationships,” Kloub said.

Shurouq is still waiting to be fitted with a prosthetic leg. Each day, she travels kilometers on one leg to attend physical therapy sessions at different hospitals. Often, the journey becomes so difficult that she misses her appointments. “Everything in Gaza has become extremely difficult, nearly impossible,” Shurouq confided.

Shireen Abu al-Qumsan, 18, was severely injured in an Israeli attack in May 2025 and had to have both legs amputated. She uses a wheelchair and depends on others whenever she goes out, as Gaza's streets are completely devastated. “Moving around in a wheelchair is extremely tiring; the destroyed roads make it hard for the wheelchair to pass,” Shireen said.

Both Shurouq and Shireen grapple with profound psychological trauma. Shurouq said, “I live in pain, fear, darkness, and suffering, but my heart remains patient. Even if I get a prosthetic leg, the sense of loss will stay with me.” Shireen recalled when her wheelchair tipped over on the road, triggering memories of the explosion that took her legs: “I curl up when I sleep out of terror. I always fear another shell will fall on us and take the rest of my legs or my arms.”