Last Updated on 2 June 2026 by Charlie Jaay
Content warning: this article features graphic video footage of injury to a child.
On 25 May the Israeli occupation targeted the Gaza shelter of one month old Mohammed Ahmed al Khabit and his family. They were living in al Mawasi, a supposed “safe zone” in Khan Younis, in South West Gaza.
Gaza heartbreak
Mohammed suffered serious injuries to his leg, which led to an amputation. His mother, 30 year old Hanan Abdul Al Nasser Mahmoud, had been breastfeeding him at the time. She died instantly with Mohammed still in her arms.
Mohammed’s father remains hospitalised with serious injuries from the targeted attack. Miraculously, his two year old brother was thrown five metres in the air from the bomb blast, but suffered only slight injuries. Ibrahim al Khatib, Mohammed’s uncle, was also injured during the attack. But he has since recovered. And, he spoke to the Canary as he is now responsible for the child’s welfare.
Mohammed’s foot has already been amputated. Unless swift action is taken his arm will also be lost
Ibrahim told us:
Four bombs from the Israeli drones hit the shelter where we stayed, in al Mawasi. Mohammed, whose mother unfortunately passed away, is now just 40 days old. He has already lost his foot through amputation. Now his arm is going to be amputated, unless we can do something very soon.
Mohammed is at Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis, where doctors are telling Ibrahim that his nephew’s arm needs urgent medical attention. They say if he stays in Gaza it will be amputated.
Due to the intentional targeting of the healthcare system by the Israeli occupation during its genocide in Gaza, more that 172,000 Palestinians have been injured. 43,000 of these have sustained life changing injuries. And although there has been a so called “ceasefire” since October 2025, more than 910 Palestinians have been killed by the Zionist regime. The attacks on the health care system also continue. According to the World Health Organisation, there have been more than 22 attacks so far on hospitals and health centres across Gaza, since January 2026.
In addition, the Israeli occupation’s intentional illegal blockade continues. This prevents items essential to life from entering the Strip, which means thousands of Palestinians are suffering from a severe lack of essential medicines and medical equipment.
Urgent medical intervention needed
Ibrahim told the Canary:
Mohammed has been in Nasser hospital since the bombing. All doctors here are telling us that if Mohammed stays here he will lose his arm. But outside of Gaza there are many solutions to provide him with the necessary medical care he desperately needs. They have given him until 8 June to get evacuated from Gaza, before they need to make a decision on whether to go ahead with the amputation of his arm.
Ibrahim has received the necessary paperwork to allow for medical evacuation out of Gaza. But this does not guarantee treatment for Mohammed’s arm. He is now looking for a hospital abroad willing and able to receive the child and provide the required treatment. Of course, he also requires the Israeli occupation to open the border, so Mohammed can leave Gaza.
Ibrahim says no place in Gaza is safe. Mohammed’s family and himself have been displaced 7 times since 7 October 2023, since their house was targeted and levelled to the ground. They have all been in al Mawasi for the past three year. But due to the repeated targeting of these “safe zones” they have also been forced to move several times whilst there. Like many hundreds of thousands of other Palestinians living in Gaza, Mohammed’s parents have also struggled with severe financial problem after losing their jobs and home, at the beginning of the genocide.
Ibrahim said:
Although we have a medical report, there are many thousands of injuries like Mohammed’s. We need to try and highlight his case and his young age to the world, to give us hope that he can leave. Every day that passes gives Mohammad extra danger.
Please donate to help fund Mohammed’s medical treatment.
Featured image via Getty/Ali Moustafa
By Charlie Jaay
