CAIRO/GAZA: Farah Abu Qainas hoped to become a teacher, but an Israeli airstrike last year injured her so severely she lost her left leg, throwing all her plans into doubt and adding the 21-year-old to a list of thousands of new amputees in devastated Gaza.
Still living in a temporary shelter, Abu Qainas attends physiotherapy sessions at a prosthetics center in the territory where she waits in a wheelchair for an artificial limb that could allow her some freedom again.
“That day, I lost more than just my leg. My dreams vanished,” she said.
“I longed to attend university and teach children. But this injury has stolen that future.”
The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when militants carried out a cross-border attack on Israeli communities.
Israel’s military campaign has since killed more than 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza, local health authorities say, and left most of the tiny, crowded coastal territory in ruins and nearly all its people homeless.
Many thousands more have suffered injuries that will change their lives for decades to come.
However, amid a conflict that has left the medical system barely able to function, estimates for how many Palestinians have lost limbs vary.
“Across Gaza, it is estimated that 4,500 new amputees require prosthetics, in addition to the 2,000 existing cases requiring maintenance and follow-up care,” the UN humanitarian agency OCHA reported last month.
Ahmed Mousa, who runs the physical rehabilitation program in Gaza for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said at least 3,000 people had been registered in their program, of whom 1,800 have amputations.
Many thousands more Palestinians have suffered spinal injuries or lost their sight or hearing, according to OCHA and the ICRC.
The large number of injuries has slowed and complicated efforts to provide treatment.
ICRC officials said that getting artificial limbs into the Gaza Strip has been challenging.
“Accessing proper prosthetics or mobility aids is increasingly challenging in Gaza right now, and unfortunately, there is no clear timeline for many,” said Mousa.
Israel suspended all humanitarian aid to Gaza after the collapse of a two-month-old ceasefire last month.
Abu Qainas, who attends Mousa’s therapy program, said she does not know when she might get an artificial leg or treatment abroad.
“They told me to wait, but I don’t know if it’s going to happen anytime soon,” she said.
Israel’s military has said its bombardment of Gaza is necessary to crush Hamas, which it accuses of hiding among the general Palestinian population. Hamas denies this. Israel says it tries to reduce harm to civilians.
Children have not escaped the carnage.
An April study by the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics said at least 7,000 children have been injured since October 2023, with hundreds losing limbs, sight, or hearing.
She said seven-year-old Shaza Hamdan had wanted to learn to ride a bike.
“My father asked (me) to join him for a walk, before shells began falling on us like rain. One hit my leg and cut it off, and another hit my father’s arm,” she said.
