Gaza teen who lost both legs in Israeli strike arrives in California for treatment
A crowd of over 200 people gathered Wednesday at San Francisco Airport to welcome a Palestinian teen who lost both his legs and half of his left hand in an Israeli strike in Gaza. The 15-year-old, known only by his first name, Ahmed, will receive prosthetic and rehabilitative treatment in the US after being wounded by a bombing in Khan Younis on 16 February.
The crowd brought gifts, banners and flowers. Dozens of children also showed their support.
Bay Area emergency room doctor Mohammad Subeh, who treated Ahmed as part of his second medical mission in Gaza, was among the people receiving the teen.
Dr Subeh called Ahmed’s survival a “miracle”, given the low probability of surviving a double amputation, especially in conflict zone conditions.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) recently said that all healthcare facilities in southern Gaza are at “breaking point”.
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Diseases such as polio are spreading across Gaza as a result of collapsing sanitation, while patients with chronic diseases cannot access treatment.
Unicef estimated early this year that 10 children lose limbs every day in Gaza, and British-Palestinian doctor Ghassan Abu-Sittah said the conflict is resulting in the largest cohort of paediatric amputees in history. Some amputations were carried out without anaesthesia.
After the bombing, Ahmed was brought to an emergency field hospital where he was “exsanguinating, in shock, going in and out of consciousness”, according to Subeh, who worked with colleagues to stabilise him.
Ahmed's friend was killed in the same bombing, and his brother was also wounded.
“The last time I saw [Ahmed] was as he was being transported in the back of a beat-up car,” Subeh told Middle East Eye. “It's very surreal to be able to hug him again.”
Subeh saw Ahmed on the second day of his mission when he was still absorbing the atrocities around him. Because of this, Ahmed is special to Subeh, who plans to continue visiting the teen.
"Ahmed was one of thousands of Gazan children awaiting definitive care and trying to get some normalcy back in their childhood," Subeh told MEE.
“To see [Ahmed] alive and with that beautiful smile on his face is something very special for me.”
The Gaza media office said that over 16,000 children have been killed and 10,000 are missing since Israel’s war on Gaza began on 7 October.
Humanitarian organisation Heal Palestine sponsored the travel and medical care for Ahmed, making him the 16th child Heal has brought to the US for treatment.
A spokesperson for Heal said Ahmed is expected to stay with a host family, engage in social events in the community and access education such as English classes.
Due to Ahmed’s visa status, he will not be able to have an extended stay in the US, but Heal will continue to take care of him in Egypt, the spokesperson told MEE.
At the airport, Ahmed said through Subeh’s translation: “I am very grateful and I want to show all the respect that I have to the people who supported me to get prosthetics because it’s going to allow me to have a normal life.”
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