Advanced Prosthetics Offer Hope to Thousands of Gaza Amputees

At a mobile clinic in Rafah, southern Gaza, Rizeq Tafish focuses intently as he uses two support bars to take his initial steps in four months. “My feelings before were sadness and despair. Now I feel happiness and freedom,” he states, smiling subsequent to the action. Rizeq represents one of the initial individuals among thousands of injured Palestinians anticipated to obtain new prosthetic limbs provided by Jordanian medical professionals utilizing advanced British technology. Warning: This report contains graphic details of injuries. Having been displaced to Rafah, he sustained injuries from Israeli tank fire in June while departing Friday prayers. Following the amputation of his leg, the blacksmith found himself unable to work and experienced profound despair. “I lost my whole life: my job and my hope,” Rizeq recounts. “There was no one to take care of my wife and baby. I even needed help to use the toilet.” The human toll of Israel’s year-long conflict in Gaza, characterized by its destructive impact, is quantifiable not solely by fatalities but also by lives permanently altered. Following an analysis of emergency medical information, the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) calculates that a minimum of 94,000 individuals have been injured. Over 24,000 people – equivalent to one in every 100 Gazans – suffer from an injury that significantly alters their life. Such injuries encompass severe burns, head and spine trauma, and limb amputations. Concurrently, departing Gaza for medical care has become nearly unfeasible, with only 16 of 36 hospitals remaining operational. Rehabilitation services face significant disruption. The WHO reports that merely 12% of the necessary equipment for injured individuals, including items like wheelchairs and crutches, is accessible. The Jordanian initiative employs innovative prosthetic devices sourced from two British companies, Koalaa and Amparo. These devices feature easy-to-install sockets and a novel direct moulding method for lower limbs, thereby eliminating extended waiting periods and numerous fitting sessions. “This is a new type of prosthesis. Its main feature is fast manufacture. It means it will be ready for the patient within only one to two hours,” clarifies Jordanian army doctor, Lt Abdullah Al-Hemaida, who skillfully fitted Rizeq with his new leg. His medical team has already provided assistance to dozens of amputees. Each prosthetic limb carries an approximate cost of $1,400 (£1,100), funded by the Jordanian state and a national charitable organization. Each fitting is digitally recorded, enabling remote oversight and subsequent follow-up processes. Provided safety conditions permit, the intention is for two Jordanian mobile units to operate throughout the area. A substantial demand for prosthetics exists across all age demographics within Gaza. At the al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in central Gaza, sisters Hanan and Misk al-Doubri are of such small stature that they can share a single wheelchair. The previous month, they lost their mother and their legs during an Israeli air strike targeting their residence in Deir al-Balah. Misk, aged 18 months, had recently acquired the ability to walk. She now encounters difficulty standing on her sole intact foot. However, Hanan, who is three years old, sustained considerably more severe injuries; she was propelled from her family’s first-floor apartment by the blast. “We try to distract her, but she always returns to asking about her mum,” states her aunt, Sheifa. “Then she asks, ‘Where are my legs?’ I don’t know what to tell her.” I inquired with the Israeli military regarding the targeting of the al-Doubris but obtained no reply. Local residents suspect that the girls’ father, a policeman currently in intensive care, might have been the intended target. Israel has conducted attacks against numerous individuals affiliated with the security forces in Hamas-controlled Gaza. With Israeli drones flying above, 15-year-old Diya al-Adini observes the devastation near his residence in Deir al-Balah. He consistently wears his cherished possession, a digital camera acquired with months of savings, around his neck. Nevertheless, he is no longer able to operate it independently, as he lacks arms. In August, Diya was engaged in playing a computer game at a coffee shop when it was bombed by Israel. “The speed of the rocket made it hard for me to react. After it hit, I lost consciousness for a few seconds,” Diya recounts. “When I came to, everything was white. It felt like I was watching a movie. I tried to get up, but I couldn’t move at all; I didn’t have any hands to help me.” Diya previously enjoyed swimming and walking his dogs, performed errands on his bicycle, and captured landscape photographs. Presently, he depends on his older sister, Aya, to photograph for him. Despite this, he maintains a resolute positive outlook. “I am trying to plan a good future so that after I get prosthetics, I can work hard and excel to become a famous photographer,” he states. “I need my limbs to return to my photography, and to everything I loved.” Navigating the uneven route to the tent camp he now inhabits, Rizeq Tafish has received crutches to assist his adaptation to his new prosthetic leg. “I want to forget the period when I was without my legs and start again. I still consider myself to be whole and complete,” he conveys to a local journalist employed by the BBC in Gaza. “I could go back to my job or get a different one now that I have my new limb. Just getting my leg back is also giving me back my smile that I want to share with everyone.” However, upon reuniting with his family, tears of joy accompany the smiles. Rizeq’s mother is visibly emotional as he advances unaided to embrace her, and his wife expresses gratitude as he stands holding their young son. Rizeq represents merely one individual among numerous others in Gaza who are adapting to a significant new disability, yet he has advanced in reclaiming his life. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.