The Restoring Hope Society initiative currently provides medical care and support to more than 450 Palestinian amputees. These services are delivered across locations in Amman and Gaza. Patients participating in the program receive specialized assistance to address the long-term physical challenges resulting from their injuries. By operating in both Jordan and the Gaza Strip, the organization aims to bridge the gap in access to prosthetic care and rehabilitation for those affected. The initiative remains focused on the ongoing recovery of these individuals as they seek treatment through the program's established network.
The Toll of Conflict
Mahmoud Abou Nusair, 15, sustained a bullet injury to his right leg on 31 October 2025 in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza. Following the initial trauma, the condition of his leg deteriorated significantly. A physician eventually informed the teenager, "We have to amputate your foot."
His mother initially resisted the procedure, asking the doctor, "No, doctor, that’s his soul. What will he do if he wants to go out, play football, skate or go to the beach? It’s a sin to cut off his foot."
Mahmoud Abou Nusair recalled the moment he faced the decision. "My first reaction was to scream," he said. "Then I took a look at the injured people around me in the hospital. They all had amputated arms and legs, so I told myself: my injury is better. Then I said, ‘Amputate it, doctor’." He subsequently underwent a below-the-knee amputation.
Lives Forever Changed
Zuhdi Abou Shanab, 17, lost his entire right leg in a strike on 8 September 2025. The incident killed nine people and injured 28 others. Describing the circumstances of his injury, Zuhdi Abou Shanab said, "I was on my way to buy groceries for my mother and I ran into a friend so we stopped to talk. When they struck the building we were standing next to, I lost consciousness and when I woke up, I found myself wounded and bleeding." Following the event, medical complications necessitated further intervention. "A week later, the doctors told me that I was suffering from an infection in the artery in my leg and that three veins and three arteries in my leg had been severed," he recalled. "I underwent an operation to reattach the arteries and veins, but it failed, so they decided to amputate my leg." Reflecting on the impact of his injuries, Zuhdi Abou Shanab remarked, "The war has devastated us and torn us away from our friends... there is nothing left" and added, "I miss my mother, my brothers and my sisters."
Abdulrahman Rihan lost the use of his legs when his home in Jabalia, northern Gaza, was bombed on 12 January 2025. He "underwent difficult and painful surgeries" as part of his medical treatment for the injuries sustained during the destruction of his residence.
Imad Rihan, 42, also sustained a permanent injury during the war in Gaza, resulting in the loss of his left leg. Recounting the medical conditions he faced, Imad Rihan said he had to "undergo some surgeries without anaesthetic in Gaza." He stated, "This war was very hard on us," and concluded, "No matter how much we talk about the war, or how much you have seen of it, all of this remains but a drop in the ocean compared to the reality that we witnessed with our own eyes."