3-year-old Gazan child faces life without limbs after deadly Israeli strike

Near a makeshift fabric tent that offers little protection from the winter cold, three-year-old Jihad Mahmoud sits on the chilly sand, playing with a friend. Using his hands to move a ball, Jihad struggles with the loss of his legs, amputated following an Israeli airstrike on an area designed as a “safe zone” in al-Mawasi in southern Gaza.

Jihad, an energetic child who once loved playing with his family, now faces restricted mobility.

More than four months ago, an airstrike claimed both his legs and three fingers on his left hand.

Dragging what remains of his legs and relying on his hands, Jihad moves around while his family clings to hope for prosthetics that could restore some normalcy.

The child is one of over 22,000 Palestinians left with life-altering injuries, according to Sigrid Kaag, the UN coordinator for humanitarian affairs in Gaza, as of September 2024. Among them, roughly 4,000 have suffered amputations due to Israel’s genocidal war, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The crisis is particularly dire for children.