Main Quote
This boy had been sitting in a wheelchair for a long time and was unable to move. We didn't have an appropriate wheelchair for him, so instead we decided to design a specific pair of crutches for him. We started to adjust them, and we tied the crutches to his hand using simple things like plastic, ropes, or Scotch tape. We tied them to his hand, and with this support he was able to walk again. It was as if he came back to life. I remember his tears. It was a historic day for him and his family. They were all crying that their boy was able to walk again.
Summary (see link for full testimony):
Doctors Without Borders physiotherapy teams in Gaza have been forced to innovate and create makeshift medical equipment due to severe shortages caused by the Israeli blockade, while treating over 100 patients daily at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Working from tents rather than proper facilities, the teams have manufactured more than 500 crutches from locally sourced wood and metal, created over 400 homemade compression garments for burn patients using hired tailors with sewing machines, and designed custom mobility aids using materials like rope and tape—including a remarkable case where they helped a young boy who lost his right leg and left arm walk again. The physiotherapists have adapted their approach to focus on functionality and improving quality of life despite the devastating injuries they encounter, including double amputations and severe burns, creating solutions that have been adopted by other medical organizations in Gaza.
A note by Bearing Witness – Gaza team:
On October 2, 2025, the writer of this testimony, Abed El Hameed Qaradaya was critically injured in an Israeli strike while waiting with MSF colleagues for a bus to the organization’s field hospital in Deir al-Balah. All staff wore MSF vests. Despite medical care, he succumbed to shrapnel injuries on October 5, 2025, leaving behind a wife and two children.