Gaza doctor treats war victims after losing leg

AFP | Deir El-Balah

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Territories Palestinian paediatrician Khaled al-Saidani moves through his Gaza hospital with determination, using a prosthetic leg and an aluminium walker as he cares for children also injured in the war.

With a stethoscope draped over his shoulders, he carefully examines his patients at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, offering warm smiles and handshakes to the children as he moves from one to the next.

He knows all too well the devastating impact of wounds sustained during war, having lost his right leg after an Israeli air strike on his house last year.

“I was injured by shrapnel, and because I am diabetic, things got worse for me, and we had to amputate my leg,” Saidani told AFP at the hospital in central Gaza.

The prosthetic “is tiring and has several downsides, but I’m able to move and walk”, he said as he examined a patient.

A child with bandaged fingers and an IV tube watched as Saidani conducted an examination.

Al-Aqsa Hospital, particularly its general ward, is crowded with patients and their relatives, many receiving treatment for injuries from Israeli bombardment.

The medical facility is located in Deir el-Balah, where Israeli forces have frequently clashed with Hamas militants.