On World Youth Day, Gaza's youth face a war on body and future

On International Youth Day, young Mohammed Abd Rabbo from Khan Younis recounts his suffering after losing his left leg, his sister, and his cousin in an Israeli strike. He emerged alive from under the rubble, but now he is without work and without a home, and he demands housing and a job opportunity. The report highlights the plight of Gaza's youth with amputated limbs, who face additional challenges amid a crippled economy and widespread destruction.

On International Youth Day, proclaimed by the United Nations in 1999, this report sheds light on the suffering of Gaza's youth through the story of young Mohammed Hassan Abd Rabbo from Khan Younis. Mohammed lost his left leg, his sister, and his cousin in an Israeli strike that targeted his neighbors' home in the Block G area, and he remained under the rubble for about three hours before being rescued. After being transferred to Nasser Medical Complex, he underwent an amputation, and he came out to find himself without work and without a home, relying on his family. Mohammed recounts that he saw dozens of amputees in the hospital and wonders about their future. He demands housing and a job opportunity that suits his health condition, noting that disability requires care, rehabilitation, and prosthetic limbs. This report comes within a broader context of the crisis facing Gaza's youth since the outbreak of the war, as businesses stopped, educational and economic institutions were damaged, and many became displaced. Mohammed sums up his situation with the phrase: "Today's young man is wounded... amputated, psychologically broken, and unemployed."