Photos of amputees in Gaza, struggling to survive after losing limbs to Israeli airstrikes

NUSEIRAT, Gaza Strip (AP) — Haneen al-Mabhouh, 34, sits in a wheelchair in her family home in Nuseirat, central Gaza, mourning the loss of her four daughters, including her 5-month-old baby, who were killed in an Israeli strike on her home last year. Al-Mabhouh also lost her leg in the attack and awaits permission to travel abroad for further treatment that could restore her mobility.

“I dream of walking again, of holding a new baby, of rebuilding my family,” she said, her voice heavy with grief. For now, she relies on her parents for basic daily care and cannot even hold a pen.

Nearby, 23-year-old Yassin Marouf lies in a tent, his left foot amputated and his right leg severely injured after being hit by Israeli shelling in May. His brother was killed in the same attack, and Marouf struggles with basic movements. Doctors say his right leg may also need amputation unless he receives treatment outside the Palestinian territory.

“If I want to go to the bathroom, I need two or three people to carry me,” he said.

In Gaza, thousands face similar challenges. Youssef al-Samri, 16, lost both legs while fetching water near his home after an Israeli airstrike in May. Displaced to a kindergarten in the al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City, he navigates his world on his hands, relying on support to move through the classrooms where children play around him.

Twelve-year-old Fadi al-Balbisi is learning to walk again with a prosthetic after losing his right leg to shelling in April. At Hamad Hospital in Zawaida, he practices with a prosthetic limb under the guidance of specialists, each step a hard-earned milestone toward regaining independence.

The World Health Organization estimates that 5,000 to 6,000 people in Gaza have become amputees from the Israel-Hamas war, a quarter of them children. Many face long waits for prosthetics or medical evacuations abroad. Local centers, like the Artificial Limbs and Polio Center in Gaza City, are overwhelmed and have only limited supplies to provide artificial limbs.

While a recent shipment of essential prosthetic materials has arrived in Gaza, the need remains critical. Patients like al-Mabhouh and Marouf face months-long waits for treatments that could prevent further amputations or restore mobility. Even with ceasefires in place, medical evacuations have been slow, hampered by bureaucratic and logistical barriers.

In the midst of this crisis, the lives of those affected are frozen in uncertainty. For al-Mabhouh, Marouf, al-Samri, and al-Balbisi, each day is a struggle for movement, dignity, and hope, as they navigate the aftermath of war with resilience and the faint promise of medical help.

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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

Haneen al-Mabhouh, 34, who lost her leg in an Israeli strike on her home that also killed all four of her daughters, including her 5-month-old baby, looks at photos of her daughters on a cellphone while sitting in a wheelchair in her family home in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Yassin Marouf, 23, who lost his left foot and suffered a severe injury to his right leg after being hit by Israeli shelling in May, lies in a tent in Zawaida, central Gaza, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A prosthetic leg made for Fadi al-Balbisi, 12, whose right leg was amputated after a shell fired by the Israeli army on April 28, sits before a training session at Hamad Hospital in Zawaida, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Fadi al-Balbisi, 12, whose right leg was amputated after a shell fired by the Israeli army on April 28, receives rehabilitation training with a prosthetic leg at Hamad Hospital in Zawaida, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Yassin Marouf, 23, who lost his left foot and suffered a severe injury to his right leg after being hit by Israeli shelling in May, lies in a tent surrounded by his family in Zawaida, central Gaza, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Fadi al-Balbisi, 12, whose right leg was amputated after a shell fired by the Israeli army on April 28, walks on crutches back home after receiving rehabilitation training with a prosthetic leg at Hamad Hospital in Zawaida, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Mohammed Al-Samri, 14, carries his older brother Youssef, 16, who lost his legs while fetching water near their home after an Israeli airstrike in May, in the kindergarten where he was displaced in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, Gaza City, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Haneen al-Mabhouh, 34, who lost her leg in an Israeli strike on her home that also killed all four of her daughters, including her 5-month-old baby, shows a photo of one of her daughters on a cellphone while sitting in a wheelchair in her family home in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Youssef al-Samri, 16, who lost his legs while fetching water near his home after an Israeli airstrike in May, walks on his hands in the kindergarten where he was displaced in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, Gaza City, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Yassin Marouf, 23, second from right, who lost his left foot and suffered a severe injury to his right leg after Israeli shelling in May, sits on a mattress in a tent surrounded by family and neighbors in Zawaida, central Gaza, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Youssef al-Samri, 16, who lost his legs while fetching water near his home after an Israeli airstrike in May, lies on the floor of a classroom in the kindergarten where he was displaced in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, Gaza City, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Prosthetic limb technician Ahmed Al-Ashqar, 34, prepares a leg amputation splint in the first stage of building an artificial leg at Hamad Hospital in Zawaida, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Fadi al-Balbisi, 12, whose right leg was amputated after a shell fired by the Israeli army April 28, tries a prosthetic limb during rehabilitation training at Hamad Hospital in Zawaida, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Haneen al-Mabhouh, 34, who lost her leg in an Israeli strike on her home that also killed all four of her daughters, including her 5-month-old baby, sits in a wheelchair in her family home in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Fadi al-Balbisi, 12, whose right leg was amputated after a shell fired by the Israeli army on April 28, receives rehabilitation training with a prosthetic leg at Hamad Hospital in Zawaida, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Youssef al-Samri, 16, who lost his legs while fetching water near his home after an Israeli airstrike in May, sits in a wheelchair in the playground of the kindergarten where he was displaced in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, Gaza City, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Yassin Marouf, 23, who lost his left foot and suffered a severe injury to his right leg after being hit by Israeli shelling in May, lies in a tent surrounded by his family in Zawaida, central Gaza, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) — Lindsey Vonn nearly did it again.

The 41-year-old American finished second in a World Cup downhill on Saturday, a day after becoming the oldest winner in the circuit’s history.

After winning the season’s opening downhill by nearly a full second on Friday, Vonn was beaten by only one racer this time: Emma Aicher of Germany was 0.24 seconds faster.

Vonn attributed a mistake landing a jump midway down her run for the gap, when she nearly lost her balance for an instant and leaned heavily on her left leg to raise herself back up.

“I’m a little bit tired from yesterday, there was a lot of emotion," Vonn told Swiss broadcaster RTS. "I thought I skied pretty well on top then I was just out of balance, I fell on my hip. Yeah, didn’t ski the bottom the way I wanted to.”

Sofia Goggia, the 2018 Olympic champion from Italy, finished third, 0.29 behind, and Breezy Johnson, the American world champion, was fourth, 0.40 back.

Vonn, who is preparing for the Milan Cortina Olympics, went into first position with her run down the sun-drenched Corviglia course. But the 22-year-old Aicher came down next and quickly pushed Vonn out of the leader’s seat.

Vonn returned to skiing last season after nearly six years of retirement — following a partial replacement surgery on her right knee, which included inserting two pieces of titanium.

Vonn’s results are shaping up to make her a top medal contender at the Olympics — and able to compete with skiers half her age. Women’s Alpine skiing at the Feb. 6-22 Winter Games will be contested at Cortina d’Ampezzo, where Vonn holds the record of 12 World Cup wins.

Vonn registered the top speed of 102.45 kph (64 mph) on the top section; increased her speed to 110.02 kph (68 mph) on the bottom and flew a massive 41 meters (yards) off a jump toward the end of her run

Vonn also clocked the fastest time in the final sector — a sign of her increased fitness this season. She said earlier this week that she added 12 pounds (5.5 kilograms) of muscle during dry-land training over the summer and followed a rigid diet.

When Vonn crossed the finish line and saw that she was ahead of Goggia, Vonn celebrated thinking that she had won. She let out a scream, punched the air with one of her poles and then raised her arms over her head, shaking her head in apparent disbelief.

It was Vonn’s 140th podium result and it came in a record-breaking 410th World Cup race. Former Austrian skier Renate Götschl held the previous record with 409 races.

It was Aicher’s third World Cup victory and second in downhill. She’s a rare all-around skier capable of being competitive in all four disciplines — like Vonn at the height of her career.

Aicher also finished on the podium in a slalom this season, placing third in Levi, Finland.

Vonn could aim for another victory in a super-G in St. Moritz on Sunday — in a race that fellow American standout Mikaela Shiffrin is also expected to compete in.

Shiffrin has not been racing downhill.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

United States' Lindsey Vonn, right, talks to Aksel Lund Svindal as she inspects the course ahead of an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Germany's Emma Aicher reacts in the finish area after completing an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Luciano Bisi)

United States' Lindsey Vonn gets to the finish area after completing an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Luciano Bisi)

United States' Lindsey Vonn reacts in the finish area after completing an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Luciano Bisi)

United States' Lindsey Vonn speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup downhill, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)