Gaza's Child Amputees Denied Crucial Overseas Treatment Amid Israeli Restrictions, NGO Alleges

An alarming report from the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor claims that Israel is preventing approximately 1,134 children in Gaza, who have undergone limb amputations due to Israeli attacks, from seeking essential treatment abroad. The human rights organization stated that Israeli travel restrictions extend to medical evacuations, thereby blocking hundreds of children from accessing specialized care unavailable in the strip.

The World Health Organization previously assessed 2,300 amputees, including children and adults, for treatment between September 2024 and May 2026. However, fewer than a quarter, approximately 500 individuals, received permanent prosthetics. Gaza currently has only eight certified prosthetics and orthotics professionals, and insufficient equipment for the manufacturing, fitting, maintenance, and adjustment of prosthetic limbs, according to the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.

The Geneva-based organization warned that the continued denial of treatment, rehabilitation, and appropriate education could lead to lifelong deprivation for these children. Complications such as chronic pain and increased mobility difficulties may arise from inadequate medical follow-up and the failure to adjust prosthetic limbs as children grow.

Fidaa Ahmad Al-Shaer, 36, shared the harrowing experience of her 11-year-old son, who was paralyzed and lost a hand after an Israeli artillery shell struck near their home. Her son requires multiple surgeries abroad and a prosthetic limb but remains unable to access necessary care due to closed crossings.

The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has accused Israel of war crimes, citing that deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to bring about physical destruction, in whole or in part, constitutes acts listed under Article 2 of the Genocide Convention. The organization asserts that the amputation of children's limbs and the obstruction of their treatment and rehabilitation are part of this pattern. Furthermore, the NGO stated that Israeli restrictions impede the import of necessary equipment for manufacturing prosthetic limbs in Gaza and prevent specialized teams from entering the strip to provide training to local medical personnel.