Abdullah Nattat, 30, once spent his nights on stage, singing at weddings and community celebrations across Gaza. Today, he navigates daily life from a wheelchair after sustaining injuries during recent military escalation in northern Gaza.
“Every winter season used to be filled with performances and packed schedules,” Abdullah told Al Jazeera.
“Now the calendar feels quiet, even when the streets are not.”
In September 2025, as a ground operation began near his hometown of Beit Lahiya, Abdullah relocated to central Gaza City with relatives. While returning from the market, an airstrike hit near as-Saraya Junction, leaving him with injuries that would later require leg amputation.
He was unconscious when doctors confirmed the procedure, waking to the news in the hospital. His cousin, Diaa Abu Nahl, also 30, visited him soon after — both were performers who once worked side-by-side hosting celebrations.
A Shared Burden, a Shared Bond
Diaa’s story carries its own painful chapter. In July 2025, a strike hit his family’s residence in Beit Lahiya, causing multiple casualties in the home. Diaa later received medical care abroad for a right-leg amputation, while ongoing surgeries were needed to preserve his remaining mobility.
Despite traveling for treatment, he returned to Gaza facing a different challenge: learning to live without the family he lost, including his wife and two young daughters, Hala (5) and Sama (3).
“I still replay the night in my head,” Diaa said.
“We were asleep together. The next memory is darkness, ash, and voices calling for help.”
Both cousins emphasize that solidarity has become their anchor.
“When someone else’s hardship is heavier, your own pain feels more manageable,” Abdullah said, gently turning his wheelchair wheels.
“It doesn’t erase the hurt, but it makes the road ahead less lonely.”
Nationwide Impact
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, more than 6,000 limb-related amputations have been logged since October 2023 through late 2025. Among these:
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25% involve children
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12.7% involve women
The ministry warns that long-term rehabilitation programs and advanced prosthetics are severely limited due to aid restrictions on medical and shelter supplies.
Daily Life Governed by Limited Power and Supplies
The cousins also pointed to broader humanitarian pressure affecting daily life:
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Indoor heating stops when electricity drops, leaving families and injured citizens exposed to winter cold.
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Physiotherapy support is available only in small windows, mostly run by local civic centers.
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Prosthetics are not widely accessible inside Gaza, and patients increasingly depend on medical travel corridors that remain fragile.
“We are not asking for pity,” Abdullah said.
“We are asking for verified medical access, equipment, and a chance to rebuild our lives outside the conflict narrative.”
A Wish for a Different Tomorrow
Their message for 2026 is simple and unchanged:
To stand again. To perform again. To rebuild again.
“Each night, I picture a version of myself standing when morning arrives,” Abdullah said.
“It may be imagination for now, but it is not surrender.”
Diaa echoed that sentiment:
“The hardest battles are silent — the ones you carry inside,” he said.
“But we keep moving forward, step by step, even when someone else must push the chair.”