‘Another layer of cruelty’: Israeli forces bomb Prosthetic Limbs hospital in north Gaza

Israeli forces bombed the Sheikh Hamad Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Limbs Hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip this week, fuelling major concerns among disabled citizens over their future, as the prospect of receiving urgent treatment becomes less likely.

The bombing of the site drew sharp criticism from Qatar — the hospital's sponsor — with the foreign ministry issuing a statement saying: "The [Israeli] occupation’s ongoing brutal aggression on the Gaza Strip, including its repeated targeting of civilians, hospitals, shelters for the displaced, and vital facilities, is part of the war of genocide against the brotherly Palestinian people."

The ministry also called on the international community to "shoulder its moral and legal responsibilities to immediately end its brutal war and address the catastrophic humanitarian conditions it has caused".

The Sheikh Hamad Prosethetic Limbs Hospital was inaugurated in 2019, with Qatar equipping it with advanced tools and technology to cater for the disabled.

The hospital was one of very few in the Strip which provided rehabilitation services for hearing, balance and prosthetics.

Hospital bombing diminishes hope

Israel's bombing of the hospital has shattered hope among disabled Palestinians, many of whom were severely wounded in previous Israeli assaults and wars on Gaza before October 2023.

In a dim classroom-turned-shelter inside a UNRWA school west of Deir al-Balah, 29-year-old Mohammed al-Deiri leans on his crutches, staring at his prosthetic leg, with its plastic edges chewed by years of wear.

"I feel like it’s no longer a part of me," he tells The New Arab.

Mohammed lost his right leg in 2021, when an Israeli shell struck his home. For the past two years, he had been on a waiting list for a new prosthesis at the Hamad Hospital for Prosthetic Limbs in Gaza; the only specialised centre of its kind in the territory. But now he feels even more miserable and hopeless following the bombing of the site.

"I was finally supposed to receive a new limb after two years of waiting, but the current war has destroyed everything," he said.

Despite the bombing, the hospital has continued to operate skeletally with the limited tools and equipment available, with most of the focus on emergency trauma cases.

However, Mohammed — like many others in Gaza — is not among them.

"I know there are people worse off than me," he adds, lowering his voice, "but I feel like I’m going through it all over again... displacement, mud, pain, and disability."

Without mobility, he can no longer collect aid or water for his family. "Every time I move, I feel like I’m making a mistake. The limb hurts more than it helps me," he continues, exhausted and frustrated at the war.

Children too have been largely impacted by Israel’s continued bombing and the lack of resources available to treat disabilities.

Yazan Abu Rumaila, an 11-year-old, was in his home in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City in March when the Israeli army bombed the building, killing his father and resulting in him losing his leg.

"I want to run like them," he tells The New Arab’s Gaza correspondent, remembering a time he used to watch boys playing tag in the sand between displacement tents. He rolls up his trousers to show the stump, which has a jagged black scar still fresh along the edge.

His mother, Nihad, said his name had been on the waiting list at Hamad Hospital for weeks. "They told us priority is for older cases... I don’t blame them," she says, brushing tears from her face, "but my heart breaks when I see him trying to crawl toward the door to play."

Yazan interrupts with a whisper: "When they call me, I’ll ask for a blue leg like Batman’s boot."

Every aspect of life affected

Atiya al-Wadiya, the director of public relations at the Sheikh Hamad Prosthetics Hospital said that as of October 2024, there were around 5,400 people suffering from various levels of amputation in Gaza.

In addition to this, there are around 2,000 others who were already receiving prosthetic and maintenance services before the war, making the total figure around 6,500.

Al-Wadiya explained that the hospital was crucial in providing various services, including: Prosthetic fittings and maintenance, spinal support devices and foot health care. It also issued patients with cochlear implants and follow-up care, assessments, programming, spare parts, and auditory rehabilitation sessions.

The hospital had departments for orthopaedic care, amputation rehabilitation, pain management, speech and occupational therapy and mobility support for people with disabilities.

"The hospital has been heavily impacted by bombardment. We receive numerous pleas from patients trying to access services such as prosthetic fittings or repairs to existing limbs that enable them to live more normal lives," al-Wadiya told The New Arab.

"For many, the absence of a prosthetic means an inability to function, work, or even perform daily tasks at home like shopping or helping family members. Even those who already have prosthetics often need maintenance due to malnutrition, which affects their fit and safety," he continued.

The bombing of the hospital has been a major blow not just to patients, but to the wider healthcare system in the enclave.

Due to the specialised services available at the hospital, other centres, including the Gaza Municipality Prosthetic Centre would coordinate with teams there, especially in cases of above-knee or bilateral amputations.

Now, staff say that patients will likely face long term health issues as a result of the damage to the hospital.

The lack of hearing devices and spare parts for children with cochlear implants will have a direct impact on their auditory development and speech ability.

Those recovering from acute injuries, strokes and fractures will become permanently disabled if they do not receive rehab services soon, al-Wadiya warned.

"These are all disabilities that could have been prevented with proper rehabilitation under international quality standards," he said.

'Another layer of cruelty'

The destruction of the prosthetic limbs warehouses comes during the same week that Israeli bombardment killed Ahmed al-Dali, a 33-year-old father of four, and member of Gaza’s para-athlete community, known as the Gaza Sunbirds.

Al-Dali was a cyclist who lost his leg in Israeli bombing in 2014 and was known among his family and friends for being positive and empowering other disabled people.

Chris Doyle, the director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu) highlighted Israel’s systematic targeting of hospitals since the start of the war in October 2023.

"Given that Gaza now has the largest number of child amputees in the world, bombing prosthetic limbs storage facilities, at the same time as preventing all entry of these products in Gaza is just another layer of cruelty," he told The New Arab.

He further emphasised that Israel’s attacks on hospitals and medical facilities must be independently investigated, and perpetrators held accountable for the killings and destruction caused.

"The most important challenge is to stop the bombing, get a sustainable ceasefire and get the aid in at scale. That is the priority. Further down the line more work needs to be done to realise proper accountability," he continued.

Since Israel launched its brutal war on the besieged Gaza Strip, there has been a spike in disabilities.

According to UNICEF, between 3,000 and 4,000 children have lost limbs in the war, making Gaza home to more child amputees per capita than anywhere else in the world.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini has called it a "pandemic of disabilities," with children undergoing amputations without anaesthetics due to hospital bombings and medical supply shortages.