‘I want prosthetics so I can learn and play’ – Young Gazan amputee recalls harrowing experience, shares hopes

A Palestinian child that lost his limbs in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is in extremely poor health, but shared his hopes for a brighter future.

Footage filmed on Wednesday shows 11-year-old Samir Zaqot lying inside his burned-out house in Gaza City, his right hand and left foot amputated and other sever injuries to his body clearly visible. His parents can be seen cooling him down amid the intense heat, which is exacerbating his pain and fragile health.

Samir said that a drone exploded inside his room, and when he woke up in al-Shifa hospital 12 hours later, he discovered he had lost an arm and a leg. He had also suffered a skull fracture and shrapnel wounds to his back and abdomen.

"I had dreamed of becoming a doctor and treating patients and children,” said Samir. "The injury has changed my life. Before, I used to write and play with my friends, now I am lying in bed, unable to play or write. My family takes care of me.”

“I want prosthetics so that I can learn, play, go to school and live independently,” added the currently bedridden boy.

His mother, Duaa, appealed to other countries to help her injured child receive medical treatment abroad.

"He also has an injury to his stomach and holes in his colon. His other arm suffers from a neurological problem due to shrapnel. In addition, he has back injuries and a skull fracture. He is still in great pain,” she explained. "We have not received any assistance from any organisation."

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) previously reported that ‘on average, 10 children lose one or both legs every day in Gaza.’

The war in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,139 people and kidnapping more than 200 others.

Israel has conducted military operations across Gaza in response, with 61,722 Palestinians killed and 154,525 others injured at the time of publication, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health.