Habiba was three years old when she came to Jordan in February 2025. “With her bright eyes and childlike lightness, we immediately took her into our hearts,” explain O&P Professional Mohammed Al Tamimi from MaFaZ and Ottobock Area Manager Waleed Lahham, who have accompanied her development ever since. Anyone who sees Habiba laughing today can hardly imagine what she went through in Gaza. Due to a severe illness, she lost both arms and one leg. Today, thanks to a joint aid project by the Ottobock Global Foundation, the Patient Care Center MaFaZ, and the SOS Children’s Village in Amman, she wears a prosthetic leg – a first step toward a more carefree future.

• More than a prosthetic fitting: In this video, you see Habiba with her orthopaedic technician Mohammed Al Tamimi, who has been accompanying her at the MaFaZ rehabilitation centre in Amman since 2025.

From Gaza to Amman

Habiba comes from Khan Yunis, about 30 minutes from Gaza City. In early 2025, doctors in Gaza detected elevated inflammation markers and a vitamin D deficiency. As a result, she developed thromboses that caused severe circulatory disorders in her arms and in her right leg. At that time, the medical infrastructure in Gaza was already so badly damaged that adequate treatment in the crisis region was no longer possible. Habiba’s condition continued to deteriorate, and her family feared for her life. In their desperation, her parents turned to the public via social media.

In response to this plea for help, Jordan’s King Abdullah II took action. He ordered her evacuation to Jordan. His Majesty personally ordered her evacuation to Jordan – an exceptional honor for Habiba and her family, and at the same time a ray of hope after the traumatic events they had endured. At the initiative of the Jordanian Royal Family, the Royal Hashemite Court and the NGO Restoring Hope arranged her departure. MaFaZ supported this mission with its medtech expertise and its local network in Amman.

The Royal Medical Service (RMS) accompanied Habiba, her mother, and her 12‑year‑old brother Suhaib to Amman. Habiba’s mother describes the fearful and exhausting journey: “Only when we reached the Jordanian border and were able to board the plane did we feel safe. I could finally breathe again.”

I At the King Hussein Medical Center in Amman, Habiba’s limbs had to be amputated. She kept asking her mother where her hands and her leg were. “They are in heaven,” her mother replied. But Habiba did not want to give up and is finding her way back into her world step by step.

Just a few weeks after the amputation, Mohammed Al Tamimi and physiotherapist Hanni Almanaseer treated her with a prosthetic leg donated by the Ottobock Global Foundation as part of the joint aid project. The team at MaFaZ is deeply committed to supporting Habiba psychologically as well, helping her regain a small part of her childhood through her new prosthetic treatment. “From the very first day, Habiba exceeded all our expectations with her incredible energy,” says Mohammed Al Tamimi with enthusiasm.

After six months of physical rehabilitation, King Abdullah II advocated for Habiba to move into the SOS Children’s Village together with her relatives. In close coordination with MaFaZ, the Royal Family enabled her transition out of a clinical environment to further support her psychological rehabilitation.

There, she is reclaiming her childhood on her own two feet: “I have so much fun playing and singing with the other children,” she says, twirling through her room in her pink dress.

• The television network CNN has documented Habiba’s journey.

Habiba’s New Beginning

Just a year and a half ago, Habiba and her family faced what seemed like a hopeless situation. Today, when her mother speaks about her daughter’s progress, tears of joy fill her eyes: “Our adventurous journey has found a happy ending. Habiba is so lively and talks endlessly - with children her age at the SOS Children’s Village as well as with us adults. Nothing seems impossible for her.”

And Habiba’s dreams for the future show how far her outlook already reaches: she wants to become a doctor and help other children. Even more, she wishes for her family to be complete again: “I miss my father. He is still in Gaza.” But returning home would currently be too physically challenging for Habiba.

“Together with Ottobock, we are now working on a solution to provide her with arm prostheses as well,” explains Mohammed Al Tamimi. This plan is already underway: the teams from Ottobock and MaFaZ are assessing which technical options are suitable for Habiba and how two arm prostheses could give her greater independence in the future. For Habiba, this would be an important step -  especially because it would allow her to pursue her passion again. Her mother describes how much Habiba loves to draw and how deeply she wishes to be able to hold pencils again one day.

About the aid project

To help injured children from Gaza regain part of their childhood, the Ottobock Global Foundation launched an emergency aid project for initial medical‑technical care in Jordan as part of the donation campaign “Help for the Children of Gaza.” In cooperation with the local medical‑technology specialist MaFaZ and the SOS Children’s Village in Amman, children from Gaza are provided with prostheses and orthoses in a safe environment. Read more about it at this link!

If you would like to support the relief campaign “People in Need – Help for the Children of Gaza”, please send your donation to the following special account:

Ottobock Global Foundation

Deutsche Bank

IBAN: DE55 1007 0000 0937 0370 00

BIC: DEUTDEBBXXX

Keyword: "People in Need – Help for the Children of Gaza"

On our Subpage, we regularly provide information on the current development of the Ottobock Global Foundation's relief campaign for People in need – Help for the children of Gaza. You can also follow our social media activities on Facebook and LinkedIn. Or visit us on the Ottobock Global Foundation website. We are looking forward to a Like!