Gaza has 1,134 child amputees but only eight experts
A new report details how limited access to equipment and travel permits is blocking specialized care for children who lost limbs in recent attacks.
By Marta Gray ·
1,134 children in Gaza have had limbs amputated as a result of Israeli attacks, according to a report released Wednesday by the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. The Geneva-based organization states that while these children require long-term medical care, only a small fraction are currently receiving it. The group argues that restrictions on movement, including limits on medical evacuations, prevent these minors from accessing the specialized treatment they need.
World Health Organization data shows that 2,300 amputees, both children and adults, were assessed for treatment between September 2024 and May 2026. Of that group, just 500 people have received permanent prosthetics. The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor points to a severe shortage of local resources to fill the gap. Only eight certified prosthetics and orthotics professionals are currently available in the strip, and the organization says there is not enough equipment to manufacture, fit, maintain, or adjust prosthetic limbs.
The report warns that delays in care could have lasting physical consequences. It states that gaps in medical follow-up and the failure to adjust prosthetic limbs as children grow may lead to further complications, chronic pain, and increased difficulty moving. The organization describes this continued denial of treatment and rehabilitation as a risk that turns immediate harm into lifelong deprivation. It also notes that appropriate education for these children is being obstructed.
Fidaa Ahmad Al-Shaer, 36, shared her family's experience with the group. Her 11-year-old son was left paralyzed and lost a hand when an Israeli artillery shell landed near him. Al-Shaer says he needs multiple surgeries abroad and a prosthetic limb, but she says closed crossings have made that travel impossible. The monitor reports that Israeli restrictions have also stopped Palestinians from importing the equipment needed to produce prosthetic limbs inside Gaza.
The organization accuses Israel of committing war crimes in this context. It argues that deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction fits the definition found in Article 2 of the Genocide Convention. The report claims that the amputation of children's limbs and the obstruction of their treatment and rehabilitation form part of this pattern. Specialized teams also require entry permits to enter the strip, where they would carry out work and train local staff.
The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor released its findings on Wednesday. The report highlights the disparity between the number of children requiring care and the available infrastructure to provide it. The organization says that without access to outside medical teams and imported equipment, the local system remains unable to meet the demand.
