188体育

Abdullah was on his motorbike in downtown Gaza when it happened.

He was on the way to pick up his marriage permission certificate from the court house. It was August 2014. He鈥檇 just become engaged to his fianc茅e and his life was about to change for ever, in a way he鈥檇 never imagined.

鈥淚 suddenly found myself flying through the air鈥� he says.

鈥淚 found my leg bent to one side and shattered. There was shrapnel in my arm. I lost consciousness and when I came round I was in hospital. I was in intensive care for 17 days.

鈥淭he pain was unbearable.鈥�

Abdullah had been caught in one of the thousands of explosions that rocked Gaza during the 50-day-long conflict last summer.

Most of the bones in his left arm were shattered after building debris fell on him. A second explosion caused a major injury to his right leg.

He鈥檇 become one of the most severely injured of the 11,000 casualties of the conflict. He was taken to Gaza鈥檚 Shifa Hospital, where Palestinian doctors were able to stabilise him, but he was critically ill.

His condition was deteriorating when a team of NHS doctors arrived, working with the British charities and , as part of an emergency humanitarian response project funded by the UK government.

鈥淚f the MAP team hadn鈥檛 come when they did, I鈥檇 be dead鈥� says Abdullah.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have much time left.鈥�

Dr Graeme Groom, an orthopaedic surgeon from King鈥檚 College Hospital in London, was one of the team who were deployed to Gaza.

They quickly realised that, sadly, the only way to save Abdullah鈥檚 life was to amputate his leg completely at the hip. It was a complicated operation that had never been carried out there before.

Four months later, it鈥檚 nothing short of remarkable that Abdullah is able to calmly relate his own story.

鈥淲hat happened, happened. I cannot change it鈥� he says.

鈥淪ometimes I can鈥檛 help feeling upset. But one should also be happy. I still have a big future ahead of me.鈥�

Dr Naveen Cavale is another member of the team who first treated Abdullah last year. He鈥檚 a plastic and reconstructive surgery specialist, also based at King鈥檚 in London. His first visit to Gaza was in September 2014, shortly after the ceasefire.

鈥淎bdullah was probably the most severely injured patient we came across on that first visit鈥� says Naveen.

鈥淚t鈥檚 great to see him doing so well now. He鈥檚 back at home, he鈥檚 looking healthy and gaining weight again.

鈥淚鈥檓 came to Gaza because this is where the need was.

鈥淥n one night alone in July there were over 200 casualties, 70 of whom needed major surgery.

鈥淭here are a lot people here now who need reconstructive surgery and ongoing care. It鈥檚 good to be working with MAP and IDEALS to try and help some of them recover.

鈥淲e鈥檝e also been able to help the medical teams here.

鈥淏y being able to come back a number of times, by providing some training and some of the processes that we have in London, we鈥檙e helping to build capacity for the future鈥�.

Nine-year-old Weam is another of the patients being treated by the British doctors.

She was playing in the garden of her home with her father last summer when a rocket landed on them and exploded. She suffered major injuries to both her legs.

Her left leg had to be amputated below the knee, and now she needs a follow-up operation on her right foot.

Two days after the operation, Graeme and the team visited Weam again to check up on how she鈥檚 recovering. Despite the trauma she鈥檚 been through, she鈥檚 in good spirits:

鈥淚鈥檓 happy because they鈥檝e removed all the shrapnel from my leg and I feel better now. Before my leg felt very heavy and now it feels free鈥� she says.

Weam鈥檚 mother just wants her daughter to get back to normal, like any mother would.

鈥淚鈥檓 so thankful to these doctors giving up their time to come here and help the people of Gaza鈥� she says.

鈥淭he facilities here are not good, there is not enough equipment and everything, but with these people coming they bring hope.

鈥淚 hope there will be no more wars making problems for our children.

鈥淚 just want to see my daughter growing up, continuing her study, playing like other kids and eventually working.鈥�

The UK鈥檚 Department for International Development provided a grant of 拢724,500 to Medical Aid for Palestinians, to deliver trauma support and plastic reconstructive surgery for many of those injured in the recent Gaza conflict.

Over 130 operations have been carried out over the past 6 months, and it鈥檚 estimated that up to 1,000 people in need of secondary reconstructive surgery will benefit from the project.

The project also aims to improve the surgical capacities at the Shifa and European Gaza hospitals. 50 local medical personnel will be trained to develop specialised skills to lead future specialist limb reconstructive surgeries and treatment.

For Weam, it might just mean being able to walk again鈥娾�斺�奱t least if she鈥檚 got anything to do with it.

鈥淲hen I grow up I don鈥檛 know what I want to do, but I like drawing鈥� she says.

鈥淚 just want to have the other bit [prosthetic] for my second leg because I want to get walking again. I鈥檓 impatient to walk again.鈥�

The MAP and IDEALS project is part of the UK鈥檚 拢37 million package of assistance in response to the 2014 Gaza crisis.

The UK provided 拢17 million in emergency humanitarian assistance to cope with the immediate needs of those affected by the conflict, and committed a further 拢20 million at the Gaza reconstruction conference in October to support early recovery and reconstruction in the region.

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