Gaza City, Gaza Strip – Before Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, 24-year-old Shurouq Khaira was an athlete, training regularly for her track races. Athletics wasn’t just a hobby for her; it was a core part of her identity. She competed in youth championships, taking a national title in 2016.
Her dream was to represent her country, Palestine, on the international stage. Gaza City was the target of fierce Israeli attacks in those opening weeks of the war, and Shurouq woke up to the sound of shelling targeting her family’s home in the city’s Daraj neighbourhood. Shurouq survived, but her injuries were so severe that doctors were forced to amputate her right leg below the knee.
Her father, who had inspired her love for athletics, had both his legs amputated. Following the shock of the injury, Shurouq’s life turned into a continuous daily struggle to perform the simplest tasks. Inside the tent her family is forced to live in because of the destruction of their home and Israel’s refusal to allow proper reconstruction in Gaza, nights are particularly difficult.
With no light available and the difficulty of using crutches in the dark, she feels stuck, afraid that she will trip and fall on her face. Outside the tent, movement among streets that largely consist of sand and rubble is difficult, forcing her to hop on one leg to reach her destination. No matter what prosthetic I get, the feeling of loss will stay with me.
At times, I feel weak and cry. But there are no solutions, so I try to adapt to this painful reality.” Shurouq is hoping to get a prosthetic leg, which would make walking easier, but is still waiting. In the meantime, she has to regularly attend physical therapy appointments at various hospitals in Gaza, posing another challenge.
With the little transportation available in Gaza prohibitively expensive, Shurouq is forced to walk for kilometres on one leg. Sometimes she ends up being too late and missing her appointments. Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of Gaza, and the resulting decimated healthcare system in the Palestinian enclave, has led to around 6,000 amputations since the war began, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
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