The roar following a bomb impact no longer stuns him quite as much, though the fear remains. He knows well what war can do to him. With every blast, he knows the danger is drawing closer. He drags himself through the rubble of what was once his city.
Escaping the explosions is becoming increasingly difficult. What was once a feat with two legs seems like a sentence when one or both are missing. Doing it alone is nearly impossible; doing it with help becomes an ordeal that slows progress and exposes the helper to various dangers.
This is the reality for some 10,000 children in Gaza—living with amputations, limb injuries, and spinal cord or brain damage resulting from the prolonged armed conflict with Israel, according to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates.
The organization estimates that since October 2023—when hostilities resumed—more than 5,000 limb amputations have been performed. One in five of these operations involved a child or adolescent patient.
Commenting on these statistics, UNICEF stated that Gaza records the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world. It is not a record that anyone with even a shred of humanity in their soul would want to hold. It is the future that is being mutilated. In this regard, the WHO has noted that over 50,000 injuries resulting from armed clashes in the coastal enclave require long-term rehabilitation, yet no facility dedicated to such care remains fully operational.
Against this backdrop, a story is circulating across various media outlets: more than 900 wheelchairs intended for Palestinian children with amputations, neurological injuries, and other disabilities remain in storage in Jordan after Israeli authorities blocked their entry into the Strip.
According to local media reports, these consist of two shipments from the Australian organization Kids on Wheels Alliance that arrived in Jordan in February 2025. Meanwhile, a third shipment from the Western Australian group Wheelchairs for Kids arrived in October of that same year.
The devices—essential for children with severe mobility challenges—sit in storage at facilities managed by the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization, rather than fulfilling their fundamental purpose: improving the children's quality of life and restoring a measure of dignity to them and their families.
In an investigation published by The New Arab, Australian activist Mohammad Helmy explained that the wheelchairs were handmade by Australian volunteers and adapted to allow children with amputations to navigate destroyed streets.
"Keeping mobility equipment trapped in warehouses while children crawl through the rubble is not a security measure; it is a deliberate policy of collective punishment and total destruction directed against the Palestinian people," he remarked.
Over the past three years, the war has continued to drive up the number of injured children. Psychological trauma is mounting and persisting, while physical injuries are worsening. Humanitarian aid is stalling, and the deterioration of healthcare facilities worsens with every bomb; consequently, opportunities for medical care and survival are dwindling for millions of people, including children.
While Zionism runs rampant, perpetrating a bureaucratized genocide, UNICEF has revealed that more than 11,000 children in Gaza have suffered life-altering injuries. There are statistics, the assistive devices sent to these children, and the public outcries. What is missing—besides their limbs? Humanity, and respect for universal, fundamental human rights laws.
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