Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 6,000 war-related amputees, one in four of them children, are now trapped in a deepening rehabilitation crisis, as relentless injuries continue to overwhelm the territory's healthcare system.
The United Nations (UN) has called Gaza home to the largest group of amputee children ever recorded in modern history. Now, local authorities warn the crisis is deepening, with sharply rising numbers of injuries, children left without limbs, and resources running dangerously low.
For many children in Gaza who have spent years waiting for basic mobility aids such as prosthetic limbs or electric wheelchairs, the loss of a limb has stripped them of independence, making even everyday tasks a constant challenge.
"When someone has to carry me or help me, I feel upset. Because before I lost my legs, I used to depend on myself. I want prosthetic limbs so I can live my life, continue my studies, and play football with my friends. And since this wheelchair is too small for me, I want an electric one so I can move on my own and depend on myself," said 13-year-old Fadel Al-Naji, who lost both legs in an Israeli airstrike.
His mother, Um Fadel, said the toll has been as much emotional as physical.
"He used to be very active. Now he counts every day he can't stand or walk. He just wants to rely on himself again," she said.
Thousands of children like Fadel are waiting, not just for prosthetics, but for a path to a more normal life.
Five-year-old Ahmed Abu Jreiban, another child amputee, has spent two years waiting for a prosthetic that would allow him to play and move freely.
"My son has suffered from this injury for two years. I hope to see him fitted with prosthetics so he can walk. The war caused us so many problems. I just want him to play like other children," said his mother, Hadeel Abu Jreiban.
At Hamad Prosthetics Hospital, Gaza's only such facility, the situation is dire. The volume of patients continues to climb, especially among children, but supply shortages have paralyzed efforts to produce life-changing prosthetics.
"There are about 4,500 amputations, and 25 percent are children. We face a major shortage of materials needed to manufacture prosthetics," said hospital director Ahmad Naeem.
The wait lists are long, the needs are urgent, and the future remains uncertain. More than two years into the war, Gaza's most vulnerable - its wounded children - continue to wait for the care and support they desperately need.
Gaza faces deepening rehabilitation crisis as child amputations surge
Foreign diplomats and scholars are looking closely at this year's "two sessions", saying China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) will not only chart the nation's economic and technological priorities but also reshape global value chains.
The fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the nation's top political advisory body, opened on Wednesday, followed by the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday. Together known as the "two sessions," these meetings offer a comprehensive view into China's development priorities.
Global observers emphasized that the 15th Five-Year Plan, a blueprint guiding the nation's economic, social, and technological priorities over the next five years, marks a decisive shift toward high‑quality growth anchored in advanced technologies, with ripple effects across the world.
"The two sessions will discuss China's five-year plan, which is heavily oriented toward China's major technological development. I believe this is important because it represents the new blueprint for China's economy, which is now oriented toward the renowned high-quality development, and this will undoubtedly impact the entire world. I think it is worth studying. This is very important for Latin America. It will help us integrate more intelligently into global value chains and into all aspects of the major development that China is promoting in iconic industrial sectors, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and space development, where Latin America also has much to contribute beyond just commercial growth," said Gustavo Sabino Vaca Narvaja, former Argentine Ambassador to China.
"The two sessions are a major political milestone in China, and this year's gathering carries even greater significance as this year marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan. This plan represents not only a blueprint for China, but also a guide for other countries. Instruments like the five-year plan effectively provide greater certainty and predictability for the rest of the world," said Chilean scholar of international relations Ignacio Araya Heredia.
"This is a particularly important date, especially due to the fact that the next Five-Year Plan shall be positioned and we're going to see what its main elements shall be. Serbia, which has a very high degree of steel friendship with the People's Republic of China, can expect further assistance in identifying the most prominent areas of Serbian economy and being helped by its great partner, such as it has been done in the previous period, from one part with establishing the main infrastructure projects, but also reshaping the industrial sector of Serbia, not just Serbia, but the region as a whole," said Veljko Mijuskovic, assistant professor of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Belgrade.
Beyond the policy framework, experts also pointed to China's achievements in green energy and technological innovation as models worth emulating.
Tomasz Bielinski, adjunct professor at the University of Gdansk's Faculty of Economics, said the robotics displays at the 2026 China Media Group (CMG) Spring Festival Gala reflected China's broader push in technological innovation.
"I was really impressed about the robotics. I'm very impressed with Chinese development in the technological field, we can still make great deals with Chinese businessmen and we can cooperate together to use this technology for both the good of China and the European Union. I'm aware of the innovation especially in autonomous drive on the on the Chinese side," he said.
"We hope for more of China's economic cooperation, especially in trade and also in investment. Also, and the other focus, if I talk about the focus of the development, don't forget about the green energy. We know that China is great in the electric vehicle field. So because China's electric vehicles in Indonesia nowadays, since couple of years ago, are very, very popular," said Al Busyra Basnur, president of the Indonesia-China Friendship Association.
Observers see China's new five-year plan driving high-quality development, global tech shifts
