Basma Al-Aïdi has been crushed by relentless workdays. In the Gaza Strip, where wounded bodies arrive far faster than medical resources can handle, she is one of the last nine prosthetic specialists still working. This is a negligible number in light of the nearly 4,000 amputations recorded since the start of the war, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Ten percent of the victims are children, and the territory now holds the grim world record for the highest number of child amputees per capita.

In Gaza City, the Artificial Limbs and Polio Center (ALPC) is supported by the ICRC and the Ministry of Health. There, the 30 year old crafts and adjusts prosthetic limbs to restore mobility to those whose limbs have been torn off by war. "I don't even have time to take a five-minute break. The number of cases far exceeds our capacity," she said in a series of voice messages. Le Monde interviewed her via WhatsApp as Israel still bars foreign journalists from entering the enclave.

The ALPC is one of the few centers still operational. It works with a small team of three prosthetics technicians and two orthotics specialists. Other specialized facilities have been destroyed or only operate occasionally.

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