As the fragile ceasefire in Gaza continues to hold, Palestinians have been returning to what is left of their lives after two years of relentless bombardment.
But thousands of those who survived Israel’s assault on the enclave face the challenge of life-altering injuries they suffered during the conflict.
There are more than 6,000 prosthetics currently needed in Gaza, many of which are for children, according to the World Health Organisation.
And there are precious few people on the ground who have the expertise to help them.
Heba, who works for the charity Humanity & Inclusion, is one of just eight prosthetic technicians left in Gaza. She examines people’s amputations, measures their stumps and makes moulds for both leg and arm prostheses.
“We see people living with amputations whose stories of loss are heartbreaking and unimaginable,” the mother-of-two said. “Many of them are the sole survivors of their families, carrying both the physical and emotional weight of that traumatic experience.”
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the war has created the “largest cohort of child amputees in modern history”.
“In the Gaza Strip, where people are constantly and repeatedly forced to move due to forced displacement and insecurity, a prosthesis is not just a medical device, it is a lifeline,” Heba explained.
“It allows people to walk again, care for their families and themselves, and face daily challenges with more strength. Without prosthetics, many would remain completely dependent on others at a time when families and communities are already under immense pressure.”
Heba provides temporary prosthetic devices for people with lower-limb amputations.
But Humanity & Inclusion says Israeli authorities have blocked most prosthetic components from entering Gaza during the war, labelling them as “dual-use” items, which are materials that could be repurposed for military use.
It has made her team’s job that much more difficult as they lack some of the basic parts needed to help those who have lost limbs. Israel's military aid agency Cogat did not respond to a request for comment.
Now the ceasefire is in place, the charity hopes vital equipment will finally be allowed through border crossings.
“With this ceasefire we are ready to scale up our activities and are hoping to support more and more people in our prosthetics and orthotics centre,” Heba explained.
“We have stocks ready at the border that have been there for months. These are mainly assistive devices: wheelchairs, crutches, prosthesis equipment. We are about to run out of many items in the centre including those specifically designed for children.”
The unrelenting airstrikes and evacuation orders made it nearly impossible to access medical supplies, and priority is given to essential items. Storage facilities and warehouses that held materials that could have been used to build prosthetic limbs have been destroyed in airstrikes.
Heba works at Nahla Prosthetics & Orthotics Centre, which was named after their late colleague Nahla, who was killed along with her four children when their house was bombed in December 2023. The centre has been temporarily relocated from Khan Younis, which is now an evacuation zone in the southern Gaza Strip.
The centre opened in January and operates with one qualified local prosthetics specialist, supported by an international technical specialist with two prosthetic assistants, two physiotherapists, and one psychologist.
Anne-Claire Yaeesh, a director for Humanity & Inclusion, said: “There is a very high demand for assistive devices and medical equipment but our prosthetic and orthotic centre in Khan Younis is about to run out of many items, including those specifically designed for children.
“Our team of 100 people in Gaza is ready to deliver aid and services. Most of them have been working around the clock over the past few months. Despite being exhausted and impacted by the war, having been displaced and lacking food, we have remained fully operational.”
