1,134 Children Have Lost Limbs in Gaza; Rights Group Accuses Israel of Blocking Their Treatment Abroad
Israel is restricting child amputees in Gaza from seeking specialised treatment abroad, the human rights organisation Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has claimed. The organisation said Israeli restrictions on travel also include medical evacuations, preventing hundreds of children from seeking specialised treatment abroad.
The monitor reported on Wednesday that 1,134 children in Gaza had undergone limb amputations due to Israeli attacks, but few are receiving the long-term medical care they need.
According to the World Health Organization, 2,300 amputees — both children and adults — were assessed for treatment between September 2024 and May 2026. But only 500 of them — or less than a quarter — received permanent prosthetics.
'Only eight certified prosthetics and orthotics professionals are currently available in Gaza,' the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said. The Geneva-based organisation reported that there is not enough equipment in the strip to manufacture, fit, maintain and adjust prosthetic limbs either.
'Continued denial of treatment, rehabilitation, and appropriate education risks turning the harm these children face now into lifelong deprivation,' the organisation warned.
The organisation also said gaps in medical follow-up and failure to adjust prosthetic limbs as the children grow may cause further complications, chronic pain, and increased difficulty moving.
Fidaa Ahmad Al-Shaer, 36, told the human rights organisation that her 11-year-old son was paralysed and lost a hand after an Israeli artillery shell landed near him. He needs multiple surgeries abroad and a prosthetic limb but cannot get through the closed crossings.
The organisation accused Israel of war crimes, saying the amputation of children's limbs and the obstruction of their treatment and rehabilitation form part of that pattern.
The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said Israeli restrictions prevented Palestinians from importing the equipment needed to manufacture prosthetic limbs in Gaza. It added that specialised teams require entry permits to the strip to work and train local teams.
