Malak, 9, walks with new artificial leg

Hit by an airstrike

The school where Malak Sameeh Khader, 9, took refuge was hit last May, killing her parents and three brothers. She suffered severe injuries and underwent an above-the-knee amputation earlier this year.

Malak visited the HI Prosthetics and Orthotics Centre in Zawaida at the end of July and started physiotherapy sessions to strengthen her muscles, in order to later have a prosthetic fitted. Last month, thanks to HI, she was finally fitted with her first prosthetic limb.

Prosthetic and Orthotic Officer Heba explains: “Everyone tried and is still trying to make Malak happy in every way available to us. She memorises the names of the entire medical team, whether the prosthetic specialist, the physiotherapist, the psychological support specialist, or even the receptionist. We have become new friends of hers.”

Malak’s uncle, who the girl now lives with, told: “The bombardment and the loss of her parents left a great mental toll on Malak and she became nervous and anxious, as she watched other children walking and playing around while her leg had been amputated. By chance, when we were displaced from the north to the south, our tent was close to HI’s Prosthetics and Orthosis Centre, and they are currently supporting Malak.”

Shortage of the necessary components

“The challenges we face with children are that we do not have all the necessary components, especially the socket to install limbs for small children under ten years old, so it was fortunate that I found that the smallest socket we have was suitable for Malak,” Heba says.

She adds: “Children are in a stage of continuous growth, and Malak will need to change the socket, foot, and height of her prosthesis regularly.”

Heba explains prosthetic limbs in the strip “are manufactured with the minimal resources available, under complex and dangerous conditions. Some of the materials required for prosthetics were imported from abroad after several months of waiting on the borders, since many of them are considered ‘dual use items’  [1] by the Israeli authorities… We urgently need unimpeded humanitarian access and to prioritise the protection and resourcing of rehabilitation services, particularly for the most vulnerable groups such as children and persons with disabilities.”

HI Activities in August

Rehabilitation services: 481 beneficiaries received a total of 1,535 rehabilitation sessions:

• Physiotherapy: 814 sessions (442 for new beneficiaries, 372 for ongoing beneficiaries)
• Occupational Therapy: 399 sessions

Psychosocial support: 225 initial assessments, 29 open group sessions, and 38 awareness sessions

Prosthetics and Orthosis Centre: The centre in Khan Younis was temporarily relocated to the Zuwaida Office.

• Prosthetics & Orthotics services: 122 sessions provided for 44 persons with amputations, including:
  • 9 new cases
  • 15 repair/maintenance cases
  • 20 active follow-ups

Risk Education (EORE): 17,355 beneficiaries (8,062 children and 9,293 adults) reached through 1,531 sessions, with 3,852 leaflets distributed.

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The number of amputees needing prosthetic services in Gaza has soared to 6,000, according to ministry of health estimates (June 2025).

[1] The term dual use items refers to goods or components blocked by the Israeli authorities that consider they may serve both civilian and military purposes, and may have a potential hostile use.