Rebuilding Lives: How a Few Child Amputees from Gaza Are Finding Hope Abroad | World News

Note: This article includes distressing content

To escape Gaza, one first needs to suffer a severe injury and then depend on being fortunate enough to be recognized, chosen, and evacuated.

This stands as one of the harsh realities of this enduring conflict.

I have been documenting the experiences of a few Palestinians who managed to leave Gaza for medical assistance.

Since the onset of the conflict in October 2023, fewer than 100 children have received permissions and temporary visas to enter the United States for treatment.

Overall, a few hundred children have been evacuated from Gaza for medical care in that duration — mostly to other countries in the Middle East. The exact figure is unverified, but it is clear that the UK has not accepted any.

A few weeks ago, O’Hare airport in Chicago welcomed the largest group of children from Gaza to arrive in the United States for treatment.

Eight Palestinian children were on Royal Jordanian flight 263 from Amman.

Although the number is small, it represents a significant accomplishment by the charity responsible for their evacuation – the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF).

However, it also highlights severe diplomatic and political failures; the reality that only eight out of thousands needing urgent medical attention managed to escape is telling.

As the doors to the arrival hall at O’Hare opened, a line of wheelchairs appeared, each ferrying a child bearing the wounds of the conflict they had fled.

Among them were two brothers who survived a bombing that took their sister’s life.

Following them was a boy who lost all his siblings along with his arm; he is now his mother’s sole child. She traveled with him, also an amputee.

The last to come through was a small figure in a wheelchair.

Rahaf, just two years old, lost both legs in an Israeli attack on her home in August, shortly after she learned to walk.

Each of their experiences paints a broad picture of despair. These children are the civilian casualties of Israel’s bombings of Gaza that followed the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.

The children reached America following a tremendous collective effort involving the PCRF and Shriners Hospitals for Children, one of America’s largest nonprofit networks dedicated to child healthcare.

These organizations leveraged collaboration with various governments to facilitate the evacuations.

Israel controls all borders of Gaza and has only permitted evacuations under exceptional circumstances, allowing only one parent or guardian to accompany a child.

After arriving, the children were sent to Shriners Hospitals located across different states including California, Oregon, Illinois, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Missouri.

This week in Missouri, I spent time with two-year-old Rahaf and her mother, Israa Saed.

We gathered at the residence of an American couple volunteering to host them during their stay in the U.S.

Six months after the bombing of Rahaf’s home and three weeks post-arrival in America, I visited to observe how a new life was unfolding.

The first thing that struck me upon entering the host family’s living space was Rahaf’s newfound joy.

With her right leg missing below the knee, and her left leg primarily gone — amputated just below the hip, she was exuberantly chasing a blue balloon while delighting in laughter. Her mother watched with a smile.

This cheerful atmosphere belied the immense trauma they endured and the turmoil of their journey.

Until this month, Israa and Rahaf had never been outside Gaza. Now, they find themselves in America, lacking language skills and separated from the rest of their family – Israa’s husband and her two young sons.

“My other two sons are still young and… should I stay with them, or accompany Rahaf?” she pondered, weighing her decision.

“Rahaf requires her mother. I couldn’t allow her to come [to America] on her own. Especially with my own injuries to my arms and elbows. I was hoping to receive treatment for myself as well.”

Israa sustained injuries in the same raid on August 1. Both of her arms were severely compromised. Recent X-rays taken after her arrival in the U.S. indicate a piece of bone remains absent in her right forearm.

I inquired about her family still in Gaza.

“Yes, we maintain contact, but the internet connection isn’t reliable. We manage to speak occasionally. The recurring question is: ‘when will you return? When can we see you again?'”

Israa broke down in tears, pain etched on her face.

“My wish is for my children to live safely, away from conflict and war. Safely. That is my desire.”

We scrolled through photos on Israa’s phone, showing Rahaf in a pink dress before the attack and a video of her climbing the stairs of their apartment building.

“She relished being a princess,” Israa reminisced.

Israa then shared a picture of Rahaf in a hospital bed in Gaza shortly after the attack, gazing at her amputated legs.

I asked if Rahaf comprehends what happened to her.

“She inquired, ‘My legs are broken, what occurred?'” Israa recounted, noting they explained it was due to a rocket. Currently, Rahaf avoids discussing it. “Whenever we initiate that conversation, she shifts focus.”

The good news is that Rahaf’s amputations were performed competently given the dire circumstances.

Due to circumstances, medics in Gaza have garnered exceptional skills in trauma surgery. However, Gaza’s medical care tops off there. The acute shortage of personnel, equipment, and operational medical facilities makes ongoing care unattainable.

Amputations necessitate continuous attention from a range of specialists, including orthopaedic surgeons, plastic surgeons, and prosthetics professionals.

Children with missing limbs necessitate an additional layer of care as they continue to grow. As Rahaf matures, she will require newer prosthetic limbs.

Prosthetists estimate that for every death resulting from a war, there are typically three surviving amputees. The Gaza health ministry reports that over 45,000 lives have been lost due to the ongoing conflict.

According to analysis by Oxfam, more children in Gaza have perished as a result of Israeli military actions than during any other conflict over the past 18 years in similar timeframes.

These statistics provide insight into the estimated number of amputees, both adult and child, who remain within Gaza.

Through advocacy by charitable organizations and commitments to provide treatment from various hospitals, the United States has welcomed a limited number of Gazan children. However, the primary obstacle remains the Israeli government, which oversees access to Gaza through its borders.

Josh Paul, a former U.S. State Department official who resigned last year amidst the Gaza conflict, commented on the matter.

In an interview with Sky News, he articulated how the plight of injured children signifies a substantial failure in American diplomacy.

“When it comes to humanitarian needs, even saving children’s lives and facilitating their access to essential care — the challenge isn’t in America asking, but rather in the unwillingness to urge action,” Mr. Paul stated.

“If President Biden simply picked up the phone to Israel and declared, ‘We will halt arms shipments until you permit the evacuation of children, particularly the critically injured ones for treatment, we won’t support you,’ it could all change in an instant.”

Reflecting on the lack of action, Mr. Paul stated: “It’s the anticipated political costs that dissuade this approach.” He perceives this as a grave miscalculation.

Mr. Paul remarked, “Public sentiment in America has notably shifted and will likely continue to do so.

“Additionally, the underlying geopolitical incentives have changed, and we face tangible repercussions stemming from our unwavering backing of Israel.”

Explore further stories on Gaza’s children:
Trapped in Gaza with an extremely rare disease
Girl with rare disorder escapes Gaza
Sky interviews a teenager whose uncle amputated her leg

The forthcoming step for Rahaf involves securing prosthetics. It is the generosity of strangers and their contributions that will facilitate this process.

Afterward, she will be prepared to take her first steps again. However, the prospects of reuniting with her family remain, for the time being, considerably uncertain.