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UAE’s ‘Step of Hope’ to provide prosthetic limbs to Gaza war victims
Each fitting will be completed within 21 days at Al Arish, as the programme tackles displacement inside Gaza, which has been biggest obstacle to delivering prosthetics
- PUBLISHED: Thu 11 Jun 2026, 2:50 PM
The UAE launched 'Step of Hope', a new integrated programme that expands its ongoing prosthetics and rehabilitation work for Palestinians who have lost limbs in Gaza.
Announced under Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, the programme marks a shift from emergency relief to sustainable empowerment, and builds on prosthetics efforts running since February 2024, when the UAE Field Hospital in Gaza opened a dedicated prosthetic limb centre. Its first phase will operate from the UAE Floating Hospital in Al Arish, Egypt.
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Dr Yusuf Al Nuaimi, specialist in physiotherapy and medical rehabilitation, said the programme is being implemented under the direct directives of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and rests on three pillars: the Emirati field hospital in Gaza, the floating hospital in Al Arish, and a medical evacuation programme for critical cases. Since its inauguration in February 2024, the floating hospital has delivered more than 29,000 medical services and performed over 6,000 surgeries, he said.
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Al Nuaimi said the displacement of patients within Gaza, after measurements had been taken and during the manufacturing period, was the biggest challenge faced by earlier prosthetics efforts inside the strip. "When people are displaced from one place to another inside Gaza itself, it becomes difficult to reach them and deliver the prosthetic limbs," he said. This drove the decision to begin the new phase from Al Arish, with improved access expected through the floating hospital.
The first phase will fit 30 to 40 upper and lower limb prosthetics for patients currently in Al Arish and other Egyptian cities, accessed via a hotline, email and social media accounts to be announced shortly. Al Nuaimi said the numbers would expand in subsequent phases. Each limb takes 12 to 18 days to manufacture, with final delivery within 21 days.
During the manufacturing period, patients receive a temporary prosthetic and muscle-strengthening sessions so rehabilitation begins immediately. The package includes three months of free follow-up and maintenance for socket adjustments, alongside psychological and social support.
Three phases
The second phase will deploy 3D imaging technology inside Gaza, with medical teams scanning the residual limb remotely and transmitting the data digitally to the floating hospital for manufacturing, before the finished prosthetic is returned to the patient inside the strip. The third phase envisages establishing dedicated manufacturing centres inside Gaza, along with warehouses for raw materials and medical equipment.
Four prosthetic models have been approved through the 'Engineering of Hope' initiative, covering above and below the elbow for upper limbs and above and below the knee for lower limbs. Above-elbow prosthetics require two joints, at the elbow and wrist, while above-knee prosthetics need two, at the knee and ankle. Components are sourced from leading manufacturers in Germany, the United States and Britain, and match the standard fitted for patients in the UAE, Al Nuaimi said.
Partners and local expertise
Mohammed Sharif, the official in charge of Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, said the new programme builds on previous prosthetics work. "This is not the first initiative. We had a prosthetics initiative before, but today this is an integrated programme," he said, adding that the team is studying the possibility of establishing a prosthetics workshop inside Gaza to facilitate delivery. The strategic partner is the International Charity Organisation, established in 1984 in Ajman, with other charitable foundations expected to join. Operation Chivalrous Knight 3 covers the full funding and raw materials of the programme.
Dr Wael Adib, of the Dynamic Prosthetics Centre in Abu Dhabi, established more than 25 years ago, said the scale of the current campaign exceeds previous efforts. "Thousands of injured people need prosthetic limbs. The two main groups requiring them are young people with traumatic amputations and older patients with diabetes-related complications," he said. His team has fitted prosthetics for cases evacuated to the UAE and is preparing to join field teams heading to Al Arish, and eventually Gaza.
Emirati Journalist