Small Bodies Without Limbs… Silent Cries Awaiting Life

NYN | Reports and Analyses 

Thousands of children stand in the heart of war-torn Gaza, facing a cruel test far beyond their years.

Unlike their peers around the world who cling to toys or schoolbooks, they hold on to a faint hope — the hope of receiving an artificial limb that will allow them to stand once again.

Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, Director General of Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza, confirmed that the Strip is facing an unprecedented humanitarian disaster in the field of amputation injuries. He explained that about 5,000 amputees in Gaza — including 2,000 children — are urgently waiting for artificial limbs.

Abu Salmiya said these numbers are not mere medical statistics but painful human stories, deepened by the lack of medical resources under the ongoing blockade.

He added, “There are no prosthetic limbs available in the Strip, and the tools required to manufacture them are lacking — making it almost impossible for these children to regain a normal life.”

“Congenital Deformities and an Uncertain Fate”

Medical indicators show a significant rise in congenital deformities among newborns — a phenomenon doctors link to the use of internationally banned weapons and to the deterioration of health and nutrition conditions in the Strip, where thousands of families suffer from hunger and malnutrition.

“A Threat Beyond the Body”

The delay in providing prosthetic limbs doesn’t only mean permanent disability; in some cases, it can threaten lives due to medical complications. Abu Salmiya explained that such delays may lead to severe infections, muscle atrophy, and a general deterioration in the victims’ health.

But the greatest pain remains psychological. The children of Gaza who have lost their limbs are not only battling physical pain — they endure deep psychological trauma that may stay with them for life.

Experts say that many of these amputee children suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and social withdrawal, in the absence of a supportive psychological or therapeutic environment.

“A Humanitarian Cry”

Amid this bleak reality, Gaza’s medical sector is issuing an urgent appeal to the international community and humanitarian organizations to provide the necessary medical equipment and prosthetic limbs — and to facilitate the transfer of patients to specialized centers outside the Strip.

With the lack of medical support, the future of thousands of children has turned into a daily battle with pain — waiting for a helping hand to reach out to them with life.