Turkish Red Crescent aids Gaza amputees after prosthetic confiscations

Mahmoud Fouad al-Dahshan, a 64-year-old resident of Gaza City's Zeitoun neighborhood, lost his left foot in November 2023 when Israeli bombardment struck his family home. The elderly Palestinian traveled to Egypt for specialized treatment and was fitted with a prosthetic limb to restore his mobility, but Israeli soldiers forced him to surrender the device at the Rafah crossing in May upon his return to the enclave. "The Israeli army arbitrarily confiscated the prosthetic limb without giving any reason or explaining why it posed a threat to them," Dahshan told Anadolu.

Israeli forces presented Dahshan with an ultimatum at the border checkpoint, demanding he choose between his prosthetic limb and the wheelchair he needed for transit. He relinquished the prosthesis to keep the wheelchair, while a female patient traveling with him also had her device confiscated and was never returned, leaving her to re-enter Gaza without the means to walk.

New limbs restore independence

At the Prosthetics and Orthotics Center affiliated with Gaza Municipality, Dahshan has begun a new course of treatment supported by the Turkish Red Crescent. Technicians have taken measurements for a replacement limb as part of a humanitarian project designed to help war amputees regain mobility and reduce their dependence on assistive devices. Saadi Dabour, director of the Turkish Red Crescent's Gaza office, said the initiative aims to help patients carry out daily activities, noting that ten beneficiaries received prosthetics during the initial phase in August and September.

A second phase covering another ten cases is scheduled to begin next month, though Dabour emphasized that severe shortages of raw materials and essential components continue to obstruct manufacturing capabilities in the besieged territory. "I came here hoping to have a new prosthetic limb fitted to replace the one the (Israeli) occupation took from me and to begin a new treatment journey to help me walk and move without needing a wheelchair," Dahshan said, expressing gratitude to the Turkish Red Crescent for supporting the project.

Thousands await rehabilitation

The Turkish Red Crescent partnership represents only a fraction of the assistance required for Gaza's growing amputee population. Husni Muhanna, director of public relations at the Prosthetics and Orthotics Center, told Anadolu that more than 6,000 amputations have been recorded in the Sehhaty system maintained by the Palestinian Health Ministry and the International Committee of the Red Cross since the war began. The center faces critical shortages of plaster and other essential materials due to the blockade, complicating efforts to provide services to thousands of wounded civilians.

Among the beneficiaries is Uday Abu Warda, who lost his leg on October 10, 2023 during the early days of the war when medical facilities lacked the capacity to provide prosthetic care. "After I had the prosthetic limb fitted, I felt a great improvement in my work and activities ... Now I can go out and walk with my friends, after I had been confined to the tent all the time," Abu Warda said. The project will support approximately twenty amputees total across its two phases.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and injured over 175,000 since October 8, 2023, while bombardments have destroyed ninety percent of the enclave's infrastructure, according to Palestinian health officials.