Israel is restricting child amputees in Gaza from seeking medical treatment abroad, according to the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, a Geneva-based group. The organisation said Israeli travel limits, including those affecting medical evacuations, are keeping hundreds of children from specialised care overseas.
The monitor reported on Wednesday that 1,134 children in Gaza have had limbs amputated because of Israeli attacks, yet few are getting the long-term care they need. The World Health Organization said 2,300 amputees, adults and children, were assessed for treatment between September 2024 and May 2026. Only 500 of them, less than a quarter, received permanent prosthetics.
Shortage of prosthetics and specialists in Gaza
“Only eight certified prosthetics and orthotics professionals are currently available in Gaza,” the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said. The group said the territory lacks the equipment required to make, fit, maintain and adjust artificial limbs. It also said Israeli restrictions have blocked imports of that equipment.
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The organisation added that specialised teams need entry permits to work in the strip and train local staff. It warned that denying treatment, rehabilitation and suitable education could lock these children into lifelong hardship. Gaps in follow-up care and failure to adjust prosthetics as children grow may lead to further complications, chronic pain and greater difficulty moving, it said.
Family’s account and war crimes accusation
Fidaa Ahmad Al-Shaer, 36, told the organisation that her 11-year-old son was left paralysed and lost a hand after an Israeli artillery shell landed near him. He needs several surgeries abroad and a prosthetic limb, but cannot get through the closed crossings.
The organisation accused Israel of war crimes, citing Article 2 of the Genocide Convention, which lists deliberately inflicting conditions of life meant to bring about physical destruction. “The amputation of children’s limbs and the obstruction of their treatment and rehabilitation form part of this pattern,” the group added.
