Life after amputation: Gaza women find recovery through football

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported on July 17, 2026, that a women’s amputee football team in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, has become a source of physical rehabilitation and emotional support for Palestinian women who lost limbs or live with disabilities during Israel’s war in the enclave. The report focuses on Gaza’s first women’s amputee football team, organized through the Palestine Amputee Football Association, and says the squad has 11 players, including nine with lower-limb amputations and two goalkeepers with upper-limb amputations.

Among the players profiled is 23-year-old Farah Abu Qinas, who Al Jazeera says was injured in a June 2024 strike near her grandmother’s home and later had her left leg amputated. During physiotherapy, she met Fouad Abu Ghalyon, president of the association, who invited her to train with the team. The article also describes Rozan Khaira, injured in November 2023, and Aisha al-Abadla, who was born with an incomplete arm and hopes to become goalkeeper for a Palestinian women’s amputee national team.

The outlet cited estimates from the World Health Organization and Palestinian health authorities that more than 5,000 people in Gaza have undergone limb amputations during Israeli bombardment since October 7, 2023. It also reported that the team faces limited resources and relies on community support and partnerships.

The story matters because it shows how sport is being used in Gaza as a form of recovery amid widespread injury, trauma and damage to sports infrastructure. Al Jazeera quoted sports psychologist and coach Khader Abdelhadi as saying amputee football can help survivors rebuild confidence and reconnect socially, beyond its physical benefits.