Gaza teen amputees seek new lives at Jordan centre

More than 450 Palestinian amputees are receiving care and prosthetic limbs at a centre in Amman and in Gaza through an initiative run by Jordan's Restoring Hope Society.

Among them is Mahmoud Abou Nusair, 15, who said he was looking for firewood in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza on October 31, 2025, when a bullet struck his right leg. After his injury worsened, doctors amputated below the knee. He said he had loved football and lost his sports equipment when his home was destroyed.

Zuhdi Abou Shanab, 17, said he lost his entire right leg after a strike on September 8, 2025, killed nine people and injured 28 others. He said he had been on his way to buy groceries for his mother when he stopped to speak with a friend near the building that was hit. Doctors later tried to repair damaged arteries and veins, but the operation failed and his leg was amputated.

Abdulrahman Rihan, 16, lost the use of his legs when his family home in Jabalia in northern Gaza was bombed on January 12, 2025. His father, Imad Rihan, said he lost his left leg and had to undergo some surgeries without anaesthetic in Gaza. Three of Abdulrahman's brothers were also wounded.

The teenagers' accounts reflect the lasting injuries faced by young Palestinians after three years of war and the strain on Gaza's damaged healthcare system. Some are receiving treatment in Jordan while hoping to return to Gaza and reunite with relatives.