Vital program for injured continues despite Gaza bombing
International
A vital program providing artificial limbs to victims of the Gaza conflict, run by Caritas Jerusalem, was damaged in the bombing of an adjacent residential building last week.
On Sunday September 7 the Polio and Artificial Limbs Centre in Gaza sustained severe damage.
Caritas Jerusalem runs a vital program from the centre for 140 individuals, most of whom are children, who have tragically lost their limbs to the ongoing conflict.
The centre was fully operational at the time of the strike with approximately 100 people inside.
Caritas reported that miraculously all staff and patients managed to evacuate safely. The attack caused extensive infrastructure damage, scattering essential equipment, blowing out windows, and tearing off solar panels. Service rooms were left unusable, and vital tools for prosthetic and mobility support were damaged.
Despite the devastation, staff and community members mobilised immediately. Urgent repairs began the following day, and within 72 hours, the centre had reopened its doors resuming its vital humanitarian services for amputees and patients with paralysis who rely on prosthetics and assistive devices to walk, move and live with dignity.
In response Caritas Australia has joined Caritas Jerusalem in condemning all assaults on medical and humanitarian facilities, which constitute violations of international humanitarian law.
The organisations said it stands in solidarity with the staff of the centre and the vulnerable communities it serves and urgently calls on the international community to ensure the protection of such institutions and aid workers.
“This attack comes amid growing concern for amputees in Gaza, where access to rehabilitation and prosthetic care is increasingly limited,” said Sally Thomas Humanitarian Manager at Caritas Australia.
“The program being run by Caritas Jerusalem is focussed almost entirely on children, who are dealing with the complexities of managing learning to walk with a prothesis while their bodies continue to grow. Many of them have lost parents or other family members who might support them, ensuring access to the clinic is vital in helping them retain mobility in an active warzone where the requirement to move at short notice might just save their lives.”
To support Caritas Australia’s Gaza Crisis Appeal, visit www.caritas.org.au/gaza or call 1800 024 413 toll free.
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