Gaza Herald – Since arriving in Doha from the Gaza Strip, 10-year-old Palestinian child Mahmoud Youssef Ajjour has been trying to build a new life, one shaped by pain, resilience, and daily struggle.
Inside a small apartment in the Qatari capital, his mother helps him get dressed for school each morning, a routine that now requires patience and care after he lost both of his arms in an Israeli missile strike.
Despite everything, Mahmoud still holds on to his dreams: to become a pilot one day and a football player.
Mahmoud recalls the moment his life changed. The missile struck in December as he was preparing to leave home with his family in Gaza.
“I was sleeping on the floor. I didn’t know what happened .. I didn’t even realize my arms were gone,” he said.
The explosion threw him several meters away, severing one arm instantly. The other had to be amputated later during emergency surgery in Gaza, carried out under extremely harsh medical conditions.
His mother explains that doctors were forced to operate with very limited anesthesia due to the collapse of the healthcare system. Mahmoud woke up to unbearable pain and a new reality without his arms.
He remembers that moment vividly, describing the pain as “beyond words.” His father says it is something he will never forget.
One of the most heartbreaking moments came when Mahmoud first understood the extent of his injury. Looking at his mother, he asked:
“How will I hug you now?”
It was a simple question, but one that carried immense emotional weight.
Beyond his physical injuries, Mahmoud also lost his home, which was completely destroyed. Yet his heart remains tied to Gaza, a place he still remembers as “beautiful and full of life.”
“I wish Gaza could go back to how it was, maybe even better,” he says.
At his Palestinian school in Doha, Mahmoud sits quietly among his classmates. He answers questions verbally while others write, patiently adapting to his condition. Determined to regain independence, he has learned to use his feet for writing, dressing himself, and even riding an electric bike.
A school psychologist describes him as a source of inspiration, noting that others often draw strength from him rather than the other way around.
Mahmoud refuses to let his injury define him. He still plays football with his friends and dreams of getting prosthetic arms someday.
“I want to have hands again .. so I can hold the ball,” he says.
His greatest dream, however, is to become a pilot, to see the world from the sky, far from the sounds of war.
Mahmoud’s story gained global attention after a photograph taken by Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times won the prestigious World Press Photo award in 2025.
Yet his father believes Mahmoud’s story is just one among thousands that remain untold, a message to the world about the human cost of the war in Gaza.
According to the United Nations, Gaza now has one of the highest numbers of child amputees in modern history. Many underwent surgery with little or no anesthesia.
Estimates from health organizations indicate that between 5,000 and 6,000 amputations have been recorded in Gaza since October 2023. The World Health Organization adds that one in four injured individuals requires long-term rehabilitation, including prosthetics and spinal injury care, services that remain critically scarce.
Mahmoud survived the war, but his journey is far from over. Still, through pain and loss, he continues to hold tightly to something the war could not take away: hope.
